President Trump and President Gustavo Petro have intensified the rhetoric of their exchange, heightening tensions bilaterally after American military units attacked Venezuela with the aim of deposing President Nicolás Maduro from office.
"He runs drug factories and processing labs and is not going to be doing it very long," Trump added.
Rising Rhetoric and Allegations
Speaking to the press over the weekend, the US president threatened similar armed intervention towards the South American nation, asserting the country faces serious problems and governed by a problematic figure who enjoys creating narcotics and distributing it to America."
Although Colombia stands as the globe's biggest source of the narcotic, there is no evidence implicating Gustavo Petro, the nation's current leader, is directly tied to the business.
A Strained Relationship
Colombia for decades served as a close partner of Washington in the campaign against narcotics trade and received wide political approval in Washington, however, the relationship have worsened dramatically after Trump was elected.
Colombia’s drug trade is predominantly run by guerrilla factions like the Golf Clan, the National Liberation Army (ELN) and breakaway groups of the demobilized Farc, most of its former fighters disbanded following a landmark accord.
Petro's Defiant Response
When asked whether armed intervention comparable to Venezuela was a possibility against his country, Trump replied: "It sounds good from my perspective."
The Colombian leader, once a member of a left-wing insurgent group who disarmed in the last century, categorically refuted these allegations. "I am no an illegitimate leader nor am I a drug trafficker," he stated.
"The US president speaks uninformed. Stop slandering me," he expressed online.
"If US bombs target peasants, they will become a multitude of fighters in the hills. If they capture me, which a significant portion of Colombians loves and respects, they will unleash the ‘jaguar’ of the populace," the president cautioned.
From Guerrilla to President
He passed some years as a young man participating in the left-wing M-19 armed organization although reports indicate to have ever engaged in fighting. After demobilizing, he was involved in writing the constitutional rewrite in the early 90s subsequently becoming an influential politician. He was mayor of the Colombian capital prior to his election president.
"I swore to abstain from using a gun ... but for the homeland I shall resume arms again," he vowed.
Increased Security along with Broad Rejection
Colombia's defense chief reported that the national leader's security detail had been reinforced.
Several members of Colombia’s political right have allied themselves with Trump's stance, yet figures from across Colombian politics have rejected the possibility of an invasion on Colombia.
Diplomatic and Economic Pressure
The US withdrew the president's entry visa after he encouraged US military personnel to disobey any illegal orders. Months later, authorities imposed financial sanctions targeting Petro, his spouse and a number of close collaborators.
Concurrently the US was building up its forces in the Caribbean and striking vessels thought to carry drugs to put pressure on Venezuela’s Maduro, the US also carried out strikes on boats in Pacific waters off the Colombian coast.
