The US President along with his Colombian counterpart have escalated the tone of their exchange, heightening strains between the two countries following US forces targeted Venezuela to remove Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro from his position.
"He operates drug factories and cocaine factories and his time is running out," Trump added.
Rising Tensions coupled with Claims
Addressing journalists over the weekend, the US president hinted at similar armed intervention against Bogotá, stating the country is “very sick too” and led by a problematic figure who likes making narcotics and trafficking it to America."
Although Colombia remains the leading source of the narcotic, authorities have found no indication that President Gustavo Petro, who was elected in 2022, is directly involved in the illicit industry.
A Strained Relationship
The country has long been a key ally of the US in the campaign combating drug cartels and received cross-party backing in Washington, yet ties have worsened significantly following Trump came to office.
Colombia’s illicit drug economy is mainly overseen by illegal armed groups like one major cartel, the ELN guerrilla group and renegade units of the demobilized Farc, the majority of whose members laid down arms after a 2016 peace deal.
Colombia's Defiant Answer
When asked whether a military operation like that in Venezuela was a possibility for Colombia, Trump responded: "I like the sound of that from my perspective."
The Colombian leader, a former leftist guerrilla who disarmed decades ago, firmly denied Trump's claims. "I am no illegitimate and I am not a narco," he affirmed.
"The US president speaks uninformed. Cease defaming me," he wrote in a post.
"If US bombs target peasants, they will turn into a multitude of fighters in the hills. And should they arrest me, which a large part of the country holds in high esteem, they will release the ‘jaguar’ of the people," he admonished.
From Insurgent to Leader
He passed some years as a young man as a member in the left-wing M-19 insurgent movement though it is believed that he never engaged in fighting. After demobilizing, he participated in writing the constitutional rewrite in 1991 subsequently becoming a respected lawmaker. He was mayor of Bogotá before being elected the nation's highest office.
"I swore to abstain from using a weapon again ... but for the homeland I will take up arms again," he affirmed.
Increased Security and Broad Opposition
Minister Pedro Sánchez reported that the national leader's personal security had received additional support.
A segment of Colombia’s right wing opposition have allied themselves with the US president, yet figures from across the ideological divide have condemned the notion of a US attack against their nation.
Bilateral and Financial Sanctions
American authorities revoked the president's entry visa subsequent to he urged American soldiers to ignore unlawful commands. In October, it placed asset freezes targeting Petro, the first lady and a number of close collaborators.
Concurrently while America bolstered its forces in the Caribbean and bombing vessels thought to carry drugs to put pressure on Venezuela’s Maduro, the US executed attacks on maritime targets in Pacific waters off the Colombian coast.
