U.S. Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) strongly defended President Donald Trump’s use of military force against suspected drug smugglers after a New York Times report questioned the legality of the action.
“Overdosing takes 100,000+ American lives every year. Cartels wage this war against our nation everyday. Maybe it’s time for our nation to push back and hold the cartels fully accountable,” Fetterman wrote on X.
The Times piece, authored by Charlie Savage, said Trump “used the military in a way that had no clear legal precedent or basis” by ordering U.S. forces to kill a group aboard what he described as a drug-smuggling boat.
Conservative lawmakers and analysts countered that because the smugglers were tied to organizations classified as terrorist groups, they were legitimate targets. The men killed this week were identified as members of Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan gang that has been labeled “narcoterrorists.”
According to a Daily Wire op-ed, the smugglers were not warned by the Coast Guard and there was no attempt to arrest them.
“Until now, the absolute worst-case scenario is that they might get detained, very briefly, and maybe have to answer a question or two about why they’re heading towards the United States on a boat with four outboard motors and millions of dollars’ worth of narcotics,” the report said. “And then some NGO, armed with tax dollars commandeered by the Democrat Party, would jump into action and spring them loose.”
The op-ed added that this time, NGOs, academics, and judges were not given the opportunity to intervene. Supporters of the operation argue it demonstrates Trump is taking direct action to combat the drug trade, despite opposition from liberals and Democratic politicians.
Meanwhile, Trump warned Friday that Venezuelan planes could be shot down if they put U.S. forces in what he called a “dangerous position.”
The warning came after the Pentagon said two Venezuelan fighter planes flew near a U.S. Navy destroyer operating in international waters this week. The incident occurred as the United States expands its military presence in the southern Caribbean.
The latest escalation follows a U.S. strike on a vessel tied to the Venezuelan-linked Tren de Aragua gang. The administration said 11 people were killed in that operation.
The Pentagon described the flight of the two planes as “highly provocative” and cautioned Caracas not to interfere with U.S. counter-narcotics and counterterrorism operations.
Trump spoke to reporters in the Oval Office about the possibility of further encounters.
“Well, I would say they’re gonna be in trouble,” Trump said.
“We heard that happened, but it wasn’t really over, not like they described. But I would say general, if they do that, you have a choice of doing anything you want. OK? If they fly in a dangerous position, I would say that you can, you or your captains can make the decision as to what they want to do,” he added.
Asked how close the Venezuelan planes had gotten, Trump declined to provide details.
“Well, I don’t want to talk about that,” he said. “But if they do put us in a dangerous position, they’ll be shot down.”
The Department of Defense told Newsweek there was “nothing new that we can provide” on the incident.
Trump had previously announced the strike against the suspected Tren de Aragua gang’s vessel on Truth Social.
“Earlier this morning, on my Orders, U.S. Military Forces conducted a kinetic strike against positively identified Tren de Aragua Narcoterrorists in the SOUTHCOM area of responsibility,” he wrote.
He said the group, a designated foreign terrorist organization operating under the control of Nicolas Maduro, was engaged in mass murder, drug trafficking, sex trafficking, and other violent crimes across the Western Hemisphere.