President Donald Trump defended his administration's controversial strikes on drug-smuggling boats, describing the action as a deterrent to illicit drug trafficking. Speaking Tuesday on Fox News, Trump asserted that his administration had rendered the occupation of transporting drugs by sea "unfillable."
"They're carrying massive amounts of fentanyl, and that's an occupation that's very hard to fill right now. Nobody does it. Nobody would have done what I did," Trump told host Trace Gallagher. He claimed that drugs arriving by sea had fallen "over 97 percent." He also stated that his administration had begun "a very heavy push" against overland smuggling routes through Mexico, which he characterized as easier for cartels to exploit. "We know every boat that's coming in. We know who it is and what's on that boat, and it's largely fentanyl and other really bad drugs," he added.
Moments later in the exchange, Trump offered a different figure, stating his team had driven down sea-based drug smuggling numbers "67, 68 percent." He did not provide an explanation for the discrepancy between the two figures. Experts had reportedly expected a reduction of only two or three percent.
The strikes, which began on September 2 of the previous year, have resulted in the deaths of more than 200 individuals identified as alleged traffickers in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, according to US Southern Command. The administration has characterized its actions as part of an "armed conflict" with cartels. However, limited evidence has been released to substantiate that those killed were actively smuggling drugs destined for the United States.
The legality of this campaign is currently under investigation on Capitol Hill. Reports indicate the first strike killed nine individuals, and a subsequent attack ordered by Admiral Frank "Mitch" Bradley resulted in the deaths of two survivors clinging to wreckage. Democrats and some legal experts have labeled these actions as murder, while Republicans, including Senator Tom Cotton, have stated that the individuals involved were still engaged in hostile activity. In December, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth reportedly denied full access to unedited video footage of the strikes during a closed-door Senate briefing, telling Senator Chuck Schumer, "We have to study it."