The US President along with Colombia's president have intensified the volume of their exchange, further raising strains bilaterally after American military units attacked Venezuela in an operation to oust the leader of Venezuela Nicolás Maduro from office.
"He runs drug factories and production sites and is not going to be doing it very long," Trump added.
Rising Tensions coupled with Claims
Talking to reporters on Sunday, the American leader suggested analogous use of force towards the South American nation, asserting the nation is “very sick too” and led by a sick man involved in producing the drug and selling it to the US."
While Colombia is the globe's biggest source of the narcotic, there is no evidence implicating Gustavo Petro, who was elected in 2022, is directly connected to the illicit industry.
A Deteriorating Relationship
The country for decades served as a close partner of the United States in the struggle against narcotics trade and received cross-party backing from American politicians, yet ties have deteriorated significantly following Trump came to office.
The nation's illicit drug economy is largely controlled by illegal armed groups including one major cartel, another leftist insurgency and renegade units of the former Farc guerrillas, most of its former fighters demobilised after a 2016 peace deal.
The President's Defiant Response
When asked whether a military operation like that in Venezuela was being considered against his country, Trump said: "It sounds good from my perspective."
The Colombian leader, a former leftist guerrilla who left armed struggle decades ago, rejected Trump's claims. "I am neither an illegitimate leader and certainly not a narco," he stated.
"He comments uninformed. End the false accusations," he wrote in a message.
"Should American forces attack civilians, they will turn into thousands of guerrillas in the hills. And if they detain the nation's leader, whom a significant portion of the country admires and supports, they will release the powerful force of the populace," the president cautioned.
From Guerrilla to President
He passed a period in his early life belonging with the radical M-19 armed organization although reports indicate that he never participated in combat. Following his disarmament, he took part in writing the constitutional rewrite in the early 90s and eventually served as a respected lawmaker. He held the office of mayor of Bogotá prior to his election the presidency.
"I pledged to never again hold arms again ... but for Colombia I will take up arms again," he said.
Reinforced Protection along with Cross-Political Opposition
Minister Pedro Sánchez announced that the president’s personal security had been reinforced.
A segment of Colombia’s right wing opposition have allied themselves with Trump, but voices spanning Colombian politics have rejected the threats of a US attack against their nation.
Political and Financial Pressure
American authorities revoked his travel authorization after he called on US troops to disobey orders that violate law. Months later, authorities imposed financial sanctions on Petro, the first lady and several associates.
Concurrently while America bolstered its forces in the region and striking alleged narcotics traffickers against Venezuela’s Maduro, American military assets executed operations against vessels off the Pacific coast near Colombia.
