“They Won’t Be Doing It Again”: Trump Cites Venezuelan Drug Boat Strike as a Deterrent

President Donald Trump defended a powerful U.S. military strike against an alleged Venezuelan drug-smuggling vessel, asserting the lethal operation will serve as a stark warning to cartels.

In remarks while hosting Polish President Karol Nawrocki at the White House, Trump defended the fatal action, which reportedly killed 11 individuals aboard the vessel, branding it a necessary move to stem drug trafficking into the United States.

“There was massive amounts of drugs coming into our country to kill a lot of people, and everybody fully understands that,” Trump said. “Obviously, they won’t be doing it again. And I think a lot of other people won’t be doing it again. When they watch that tape, they’re going to say, ‘Let’s not do this.’”

The strike broke with conventional U.S. drug interdiction methods, which typically emphasize arrests and seizures, not lethal force. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio supported the escalation, with Rubio warning that such operations “will happen again.” Hegseth added that officials “knew exactly who was in that boat” and how it was being used.

The U.S. Navy strike, carried out in international waters, marks a shift toward treating drug trafficking operations with counter-terrorism tactics—a direction facilitated by a Trump-era designation of cartels as “foreign terrorist organizations.” The target, an alleged vessel operated by the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, was described as “narco‑terrorists” by administration officials.

This strike comes amid a heightened U.S. military presence near Venezuela, including warship deployments and increased navy and Marine activity.

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