Donald Trump and his Colombian counterpart have escalated the rhetoric in their verbal conflict, further raising strains between the two countries following American military units targeted Venezuela with the aim of deposing President Nicolás Maduro from office.
"He has drug factories and cocaine factories and is not going to be doing it very long," Trump added.
Rising Rhetoric and Allegations
Speaking to reporters over the weekend, Trump hinted at comparable armed intervention towards the South American nation, claiming the country is “very sick too” and “run by an unwell individual who enjoys creating the drug and distributing it to the United States."
Although Colombia remains the leading producer of cocaine, there is no evidence implicating Gustavo Petro, the nation's current leader, is directly tied to the illicit industry.
A Strained Alliance
Colombia has long been a key ally of the United States in the fight combating drug cartels and received bipartisan support from American politicians, but relations have soured significantly since Trump was elected.
Colombia’s narcotics trade is predominantly run by guerrilla factions including the Clan del Golfo, another leftist insurgency and dissident factions of the former Farc guerrillas, a large contingent of whom disbanded following a 2016 peace deal.
Colombia's Firm Response
Upon being questioned if armed intervention comparable to Venezuela was on the cards regarding Colombia, Trump responded: "That seems like a good idea to me."
President Petro, once a member of a left-wing insurgent group who disarmed in the last century, rejected the accusations. "I am not an illegitimate leader and certainly not a narco," he declared.
"Trump speaks uninformed. Stop slandering me," he wrote online.
"Should American forces attack peasants, they will become a multitude of fighters across the countryside. And should they arrest the president, which many of Colombians holds in high esteem, they will provoke the powerful force of the nation," the president cautioned.
From Fighter to President
Petro spent a period in his early life participating with the radical M-19 insurgent movement but is not believed to have ever participated in combat. After demobilizing, he participated in drafting a new constitution in 1991 and eventually served as a respected lawmaker. He held the office of mayor of the Colombian capital before winning the presidency.
"I pledged to abstain from using a weapon again ... but in defense of my country I shall resume the fight," he vowed.
Increased Security along with Cross-Political Condemnation
Minister Pedro Sánchez reported that Petro's security detail had been reinforced.
Many among Colombia’s political right have sided with Trump's stance, yet figures from all sides of Colombian politics have rejected the possibility of a US attack targeting Colombia.
Political and Financial Sanctions
American authorities cancelled Petro’s visa following he urged US military personnel to ignore any illegal orders. Later, in October, it placed economic restrictions targeting Petro, the first lady and several key allies.
Simultaneously as the US increased its troop levels in the Caribbean and targeting vessels thought to carry drugs to pressure Venezuela’s Maduro, the US executed strikes on boats in the eastern Pacific region near Colombia.
