Name: Trump threatens to expand strikes beyond Venezuela
Uploaded: 2025-12-03T07:54:50.999Z
Duration: 2 min 53 s
Description: U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to expand his crackdown on drug trafficking during a cabinet meeting, suggesting he’d order land strikes on Venezuela and attacks on any country transporting illegal drugs into the U.S.

U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to expand his crackdown on drug trafficking during a cabinet meeting, suggesting he’d order land strikes on Venezuela and attacks on any country transporting illegal drugs into the U.S.

Washington

U.S. President Donald Trump announced that American military operations against alleged drug traffickers, previously focused at sea and primarily targeting Venezuelan groups, may soon expand to include land-based strikes and potentially target other countries involved in the illegal drug trade. Trump made these remarks during a cabinet meeting, emphasizing that any country selling drugs into the United States could be subject to attack.

The announcement comes amid increased U.S. military presence in the Caribbean and ongoing scrutiny over a September incident involving a double strike on a suspected drug boat, which some U.S. lawmakers have suggested could constitute a war crime. Both Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth have distanced themselves from the incident, while Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has called for calm in response to rising tensions.

Trump threatens to expand strikes beyond Venezuela

The U.S. military operation targeting alleged drug traffickers at sea is poised to expand and it could happen soon. We know where the bad ones live. According to U.S. President Donald Trump. And we're going to start doing those strikes on land, too. You know the land is much easier, it's much easier. In recent weeks, the U.S. military has surged resources to the Caribbean. And while Trump says Venezuelan drug traffickers have been the target of American attacks so far he's open to going after any country involved in the illegal drug trade. Anybody that's doing that and selling it into our country is subject to attack. So not necessarily just Venezuela? No, not just Venezuela. Trump made the announcement during a lengthy and unusual cabinet meeting. At times, the president struggled to keep his eyes open. As his secretary spoke one after another. Just sitting there today. Over the course of two hours, Trump appeared to be tired. He was also seated next to his embattled defense secretary Pete Hegseth who had a typo, an extra S on his formal nameplate. We've only just begun striking narco boats and putting narco terrorists at the bottom of the ocean. Hegseth is trying to distance himself from this attack on an alleged drug boat in September. According to the Washington Post, after survivors were spotted clinging to wreckage a second strike was ordered to kill everyone. I watched that first strike live. As you can imagine, at the Department of War we got a lot of things to do. So I didn't stick around for the hour and two hours. Hegseth says he learned of the second strike hours later and it was Admiral Frank Bradley who ordered the follow-up strike which Hegseth described as the right call. I did not personally see survivors but I stand because the thing was on fire. It was exploded and fire and smoke. You can't see anything. You got digital. This is called the fog of war. As tensions intensify, Venezuela's president is making an unusual call for calm. Nicolas Maduro danced to the English remix of a song demanding peace at a public rally in Caracas. Democrats say the Trump administration is not cooperating with demands for more information and they continue to raise their concerns the double strike attack could very well be a war crime. And Katie, as Hegseth tries to distance himself from that attack, Trump is doing the same thing. Yeah, as Trump sat right next to Hegseth, he said he still hasn't gotten a lot of information about what happened. Trump said he didn't know anything about people and that he wasn't involved though he showed support for the admiral they say ordered the follow-up strike. Katie Simpson in Washington. Thank you.

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