The US President along with President Gustavo Petro have turned up the volume of their war of words, further raising strains between the two countries after American military units struck Venezuela in an operation to oust President Nicolás Maduro from office.
"He has narcotics facilities and production sites and that won't last much longer," Trump remarked.
Growing Rhetoric coupled with Allegations
Speaking to the press on Sunday, Trump threatened analogous armed intervention towards the South American nation, asserting Colombia is also "very ill" and governed by a sick man who enjoys creating the drug and selling it to the US."
While Colombia remains the globe's biggest cocaine-producing country, there is no evidence linking President Gustavo Petro, the nation's current leader, is directly involved in the business.
A Strained Alliance
This nation for decades served as a key ally of the United States in the campaign against narcotics trade and enjoyed wide political approval in the US capital, but relations have deteriorated markedly after Trump assumed the presidency.
Its narcotics trade is largely controlled by illegal armed groups including the Clan del Golfo, the ELN guerrilla group and renegade units of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc), the majority of whose members demobilised following a historic peace agreement.
Colombia's Firm Rebuttal
In response to a query whether armed intervention comparable to Venezuela was a possibility for Colombia, Trump responded: "I like the sound of that to me personally."
The Colombian leader, an ex-guerrilla fighter who disarmed in the 1990s, firmly denied Trump's claims. "I am neither illegitimate and I am not involved in narcotics," he declared.
"The US president speaks uninformed. Stop slandering me," he wrote in a message.
"If they [the US] bomb civilians, they will turn into a multitude of fighters in the hills. And should they arrest the president, whom a large part of Colombians admires and supports, they will provoke the fierce spirit of the populace," he admonished.
From Guerrilla to Leader
He passed a period in his early life participating of the leftist M-19 insurgent movement though it is believed that he never took part in armed clashes. After demobilizing, he was involved in drafting the constitutional rewrite in 1991 subsequently becoming an influential politician. He held the office of mayor of the capital city before winning the presidency.
"I made a vow to never again hold arms again ... but in defense of my country I shall resume weapons once more," he affirmed.
Reinforced Protection and Cross-Political Opposition
The Colombian defence minister stated that the national leader's personal security was strengthened.
Several members of Colombia’s right wing opposition have sided with Trump, but voices from all sides of Colombian politics have condemned the notion of an invasion against their nation.
Diplomatic and Economic Pressure
American authorities withdrew the president's entry visa after he encouraged US military personnel to refuse unlawful commands. In October, authorities imposed asset freezes against the president, his wife and several close collaborators.
At the same time the US was building up its troop levels near Venezuela and striking alleged narcotics traffickers against Venezuela’s Maduro, American military assets also carried out strikes against vessels in the eastern Pacific region adjacent to Colombia.
