President Trump along with Colombia's president have turned up the volume of their exchange, increasing tensions bilaterally following US forces struck Venezuela to remove the leader of Venezuela Nicolás Maduro from office.
"He runs narcotics facilities and production sites and is not going to be doing it very long," Trump added.
Rising Threats and Allegations
Addressing journalists on Sunday, Trump hinted at similar armed intervention against Bogotá, asserting the nation faces serious problems and led by a problematic figure who enjoys creating cocaine and distributing it to the United States."
Although Colombia remains the world’s largest source of the narcotic, there is no evidence implicating Gustavo Petro, who was elected in 2022, is directly tied to the trade.
A Deteriorating Relationship
The country was historically a close partner of the United States in the fight against drug trafficking and received cross-party backing from American politicians, yet ties have worsened significantly since Trump was elected.
Its narcotics trade is largely controlled by guerrilla factions including one major cartel, the National Liberation Army (ELN) and breakaway groups of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc), a large contingent of whom laid down arms following a landmark accord.
Petro's Strong Answer
In response to a query if military intervention like that in Venezuela was a possibility regarding Colombia, Trump replied: "It sounds good to me."
Petro, an ex-guerrilla fighter who left armed struggle in the last century, firmly denied the accusations. "I am no an illegitimate leader and I am not a drug trafficker," he affirmed.
"Trump speaks without knowledge. Stop slandering me," he wrote online.
"If they [the US] bomb civilians, they will transform into numerous insurgents in the mountains. And should they arrest the nation's leader, whom a significant portion of the country loves and respects, they will provoke the powerful force of the populace," Petro warned.
From Guerrilla to President
He passed part of his youth participating with the radical M-19 insurgent movement though it is believed to have ever participated in combat. After demobilizing, he took part in creating the constitutional rewrite in 1991 subsequently becoming an influential politician. He served as mayor of the capital city before being elected the presidency.
"I swore to never again hold arms again ... but for the homeland I shall resume weapons once more," he affirmed.
Heightened Measures and Widespread Condemnation
Minister Pedro Sánchez announced that Petro's personal security had been reinforced.
Several members of Colombia’s conservative opposition have allied themselves with Trump's stance, yet figures from all sides of the political spectrum have condemned the possibility of a US attack targeting Colombia.
Bilateral and Economic Pressure
American authorities cancelled Petro’s visa subsequent to he encouraged American soldiers to ignore any illegal orders. Months later, authorities imposed asset freezes on Petro, the first lady and a number of key allies.
Simultaneously the US was building up its forces in the Caribbean and striking alleged narcotics traffickers against Venezuela’s Maduro, the US executed strikes on maritime targets off the Pacific coast off the Colombian coast.
