The US President along with President Gustavo Petro have escalated the tone of their exchange, heightening strains bilaterally after US forces targeted Venezuela in an operation to oust Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro from his position.
"He operates drug factories and production sites and is not going to be doing it very long," Trump added.
Growing Tensions and Accusations
Speaking to reporters on Sunday, the American leader suggested similar military action towards the South American nation, stating the nation is also "very ill" and led by a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to America."
While Colombia remains the world’s largest producer of cocaine, there is no evidence that President Gustavo Petro, the nation's current leader, is directly tied to the trade.
A Frayed Partnership
Colombia for decades served as a staunch collaborator of Washington in the fight against drug trafficking and received cross-party backing in Washington, but relations have soured markedly since Trump came to office.
The nation's illicit drug economy is largely controlled by illegal armed groups including the Golf Clan, another leftist insurgency and dissident factions of the demobilized Farc, the majority of whose members demobilised subsequent to a historic peace agreement.
The President's Firm Response
Upon being questioned whether armed intervention similar to Venezuela was being considered regarding Colombia, Trump replied: "I like the sound of that to me personally."
President Petro, once a member of a left-wing insurgent group who disarmed in the last century, firmly denied the accusations. "I am neither illegitimate and certainly not a narco," he stated.
"Trump speaks uninformed. Stop slandering me," he wrote in a post.
"If they [the US] bomb peasants, they will turn into numerous insurgents in the mountains. And if they detain me, which a significant portion of the country admires and supports, they will provoke the ‘jaguar’ of the people," he admonished.
From Insurgent to Statesman
Petro spent some years as a young man belonging in the left-wing M-19 armed organization but is not believed that he never engaged in fighting. After demobilizing, he participated in drafting the nation's constitution in 1991 and later became a prominent senator. He served as mayor of the Colombian capital before winning the nation's highest office.
"I made a vow to never again hold a weapon again ... but for Colombia I would take up the fight," he vowed.
Heightened Measures and Cross-Political Opposition
The Colombian defence minister reported that the national leader's personal security had received additional support.
A segment of Colombia’s political right have sided with Trump's stance, however, leaders from across Colombian politics have condemned the notion of a US attack against their nation.
Bilateral and Financial Sanctions
American authorities cancelled the president's entry visa subsequent to he encouraged American soldiers to ignore any illegal orders. Months later, it placed economic restrictions on Petro, the first lady and several close collaborators.
At the same time the US was building up its forces near Venezuela and targeting alleged narcotics traffickers to pressure Venezuela’s Maduro, American military assets also carried out operations against vessels off the Pacific coast off the Colombian coast.
