The US President and Colombia's president have turned up the volume of their war of words, further raising strains bilaterally following US forces struck Venezuela to remove the leader of Venezuela Nicolás Maduro from his position.
"He runs cocaine mills and processing labs and is not going to be doing it very long," Trump added.
Rising Tensions coupled with Allegations
Speaking to reporters over the weekend, the American leader threatened comparable armed intervention towards the South American nation, claiming the nation faces serious problems and led by an unwell individual who likes making narcotics and distributing it to the United States."
While Colombia is the globe's biggest source of the narcotic, authorities have found no indication implicating Gustavo Petro, elected two years ago, is in any way involved in the trade.
A Strained Relationship
This nation was historically a key ally of the United States in the campaign against drug trafficking and benefited from cross-party backing in the US capital, yet ties have worsened markedly since Trump came to office.
Its illicit drug economy is mainly overseen by illegal armed groups like one major cartel, the National Liberation Army (ELN) and breakaway groups of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc), most of its former fighters disbanded following a historic peace agreement.
Colombia's Strong Response
Upon being questioned if a military operation similar to Venezuela was a possibility against his country, Trump said: "I like the sound of that to me personally."
Petro, once a member of a left-wing insurgent group who disarmed decades ago, rejected the accusations. "I am neither illegitimate nor am I a narco," he affirmed.
"He comments uninformed. Stop slandering me," he wrote in a post.
"If US bombs target rural communities, they will become numerous insurgents across the countryside. And should they arrest me, whom a large part of Colombians loves and respects, they will release the ‘jaguar’ of the populace," Petro warned.
From Fighter to President
He passed part of his youth as a member of the leftist M-19 guerrilla group although reports indicate that he never participated in combat. Upon leaving the group, he took part in writing the constitutional rewrite in the early 90s and later became an influential politician. He held the office of mayor of the Colombian capital before being elected president.
"I pledged to never again hold a gun ... but in defense of my country I would take up arms again," he said.
Increased Security along with Cross-Political Rejection
The Colombian defence minister stated that Petro's protection team had been reinforced.
Several members of Colombia’s political right have sided with Trump's stance, yet figures spanning Colombian politics have rejected the notion of an invasion targeting Colombia.
Political and Financial Pressure
American authorities cancelled Petro’s visa after he encouraged US troops to refuse any illegal orders. Months later, the US enacted financial sanctions targeting Petro, his spouse and a number of key allies.
Concurrently as the US increased its troop levels in the region and striking alleged narcotics traffickers to put pressure on Venezuela’s Maduro, American military assets executed strikes on maritime targets off the Pacific coast near Colombia.
