The US President along with his Colombian counterpart have turned up the tone of their war of words, increasing tensions in their relations after US forces struck Venezuela with the aim of deposing President Nicolás Maduro from power.
"He runs drug factories and processing labs and is not going to be doing it very long," Trump added.
Escalating Tensions coupled with Accusations
Addressing journalists over the weekend, the American leader hinted at similar military action against Bogotá, claiming the country is also "very ill" and “run by an unwell individual who enjoys creating the drug and trafficking it to the US."
Although Colombia is the leading source of the narcotic, no proof exists that President Gustavo Petro, the nation's current leader, is personally connected to the illicit industry.
A Strained Alliance
The country has long been a close partner of Washington in the campaign against narcotics trade and enjoyed bipartisan support in the US capital, yet ties have deteriorated markedly since Trump was elected.
The nation's drug trade is largely controlled by criminal organizations like one major cartel, the ELN guerrilla group and dissident factions of the former Farc guerrillas, the majority of whose members demobilised after a 2016 peace deal.
Petro's Strong Rebuttal
Upon being questioned whether armed intervention similar to Venezuela was being considered regarding Colombia, Trump said: "It sounds good to me."
President Petro, a former leftist guerrilla who demobilised in the 1990s, rejected Trump's claims. "I am no illegitimate and certainly not a narco," he declared.
"The US president speaks without information. End the false accusations," he posted online.
"Should American forces attack peasants, they will turn into thousands of guerrillas across the countryside. And should they arrest me, whom a large part of the population loves and respects, they will unleash the ‘jaguar’ of the nation," Petro warned.
From Insurgent to President
Petro spent part of his youth participating in the left-wing M-19 insurgent movement though it is believed to have ever engaged in fighting. Following his disarmament, he was involved in creating the nation's constitution over three decades ago subsequently becoming a respected lawmaker. He held the office of mayor of the capital city before winning the presidency.
"I pledged to abstain from using a weapon again ... but for Colombia I will take up weapons once more," he said.
Increased Security and Broad Opposition
The Colombian defence minister announced that the national leader's security detail had been reinforced.
Many among Colombia’s conservative opposition have allied themselves with the US president, but voices from all sides of the political spectrum have denounced the notion of a US attack targeting Colombia.
Bilateral and Financial Pressure
American authorities revoked his travel authorization following he urged US military personnel to ignore orders that violate law. In October, authorities imposed financial sanctions on Petro, his wife and various close collaborators.
At the same time the US was building up its troop levels in the Caribbean and striking suspected drug boats to put pressure on Venezuela’s Maduro, US forces executed strikes on maritime targets in the eastern Pacific region adjacent to Colombia.
