The US President along with Colombia's president have intensified the rhetoric in their verbal conflict, increasing strains bilaterally following American military units struck Venezuela to remove Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro from his position.
"He runs cocaine mills and cocaine factories and that won't last much longer," Trump added.
Rising Rhetoric and Claims
Talking to journalists on Sunday, the American leader hinted at comparable armed intervention towards the South American nation, claiming the nation is “very sick too” and governed by a sick man involved in producing cocaine and selling it to the United States."
While Colombia stands as the leading source of the narcotic, there is no evidence linking President Gustavo Petro, the nation's current leader, is directly connected to the trade.
A Deteriorating Alliance
Colombia has long been a key ally of the United States in the fight against drug trafficking and benefited from cross-party backing in the US capital, however, the relationship have soured markedly following Trump was elected.
The nation's drug trade is mainly overseen by illegal armed groups including the Clan del Golfo, another leftist insurgency and dissident factions of the demobilized Farc, most of its former fighters laid down arms after a historic peace agreement.
Colombia's Firm Response
In response to a query if armed intervention like that in Venezuela was being considered against his country, Trump replied: "It sounds good to me personally."
President Petro, an ex-guerrilla fighter who disarmed in the last century, rejected these allegations. "I am not an illegitimate leader and I am not a narco," he stated.
"He comments without knowledge. Stop slandering me," he wrote online.
"Should American forces attack civilians, they will turn into thousands of guerrillas in the hills. If they capture the nation's leader, whom a significant portion of the population admires and supports, they will unleash the ‘jaguar’ of the people," Petro warned.
From Guerrilla to Leader
The president dedicated a period in his early life as a member with the radical M-19 guerrilla group though it is believed to have ever participated in combat. Following his disarmament, he was involved in writing the nation's constitution in the early 90s and eventually served as a prominent senator. He was mayor of the capital city before being elected president.
"I made a vow to never again hold a gun ... but for Colombia I will take up the fight," he vowed.
Reinforced Protection along with Widespread Condemnation
The Colombian defence minister reported that Petro's personal security had received additional support.
Several members of Colombia’s conservative opposition have allied themselves with Trump's stance, yet figures spanning the ideological divide have denounced the threats of a US attack on Colombia.
Diplomatic and Financial Strains
The US cancelled his travel authorization subsequent to he encouraged US military personnel to refuse any illegal orders. Later, in October, the US enacted financial sanctions targeting Petro, the first lady and a number of close collaborators.
Simultaneously the US was building up its forces in the Caribbean and striking vessels thought to carry drugs against Venezuela’s Maduro, the US also carried out operations on boats off the Pacific coast off the Colombian coast.
