Donald Trump Signals Possible Land Strikes in Venezuela Amid Drug War Escalation
President Donald Trump has boosted his controversial crusade against contended Venezuelan medicine merchants, suggesting the United States may soon launch land operations in addition to ongoing maritime strikes.
Speaking at a White House press briefing on Thursday, Trump stressed that at least 37 suspected bootleggers have been killed under his authorization in the once month
On whether he would seek congressional approval for further action on land, Trump remarked, “I think we’re just gonna kill people. Okay? We’re gonna kill them. They’re gonna be, like, dead.”
He added, “The land is going to be next. And we may go to the Senate; we may go to the Congress and tell them about it, but I can’t imagine they’d have any problem with it.”
The president’s remarks have sparked alarm across both Democratic and Republican circles, as lawmakers express concern over the bypassing of Congress in decisions to strike a foreign nation.
The U.S. military recently broadened its operations in South America. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed the killing of three individuals in the eastern Pacific on Wednesday, following another strike on Tuesday night that killed two more.
Earlier attacks had been limited to vessels in the Caribbean Sea, according to reports from The Associated Press.
Hegseth compared the crackdown on alleged cartel operations to America’s response to the September 11 attacks.
“Just as Al Qaeda waged war on our homeland, these cartels are waging war on our border and our people,” he said. “There will be no refuge or forgiveness, only justice.”
Analysts note that these strikes may be part of a broader attempt to destabilize Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, whom Trump has repeatedly called a “narco-terrorist.”
The president also denied recent Wall Street Journal reports suggesting that U.S. Air Force B-1 bombers flew near Venezuelan airspace earlier in the day.
Concerns about the legality and consequences of Trump’s strategy are mounting.
Senator Mark Kelly expressed his unease on MSNBC, asking, “Now we’re flying B-52s along the coast of Venezuela, talking about regime change? How often has regime change worked out well for the United States, whether it’s in Vietnam, Cuba, Iraq or Afghanistan? It puts American lives at risk, and this is not making us more safe. It’s having the opposite effect.”
Trump’s latest remarks come amid his ongoing criticisms of international bodies, including the Nobel Committee, which he accused of prioritizing “politics over peace” when awarding a prize to a Venezuelan pro-democracy activist.
With the escalating campaign, the White House faces mounting scrutiny for its extrajudicial tactics, while the world watches the growing tension in South America closely.
