Pete Hegseth’s order for a second strike on alleged drug trafficking Venezuelan boats are under the radar. Whether gunning down the survivors was a greater act of war is debatable, it seems President Donald Trump has made his verdict very clear.
He dismissed the controversy over the second strike, despite knowing that two survivors were still clinging to the boat. The 79-year-old also assured that if need be, the authorities will release the real video footage of the strikes. They claim that these attacks were aimed at neutralizing a major drug cartel stepping inside United States of America.
Trump mentioned to the press, “I don’t know what they have, but whatever they have we’ll certainly release, no problem. I think you’re going to find that this is war. I think you’re going to find that there’s a very receptive ear to doing exactly what they’re doing, taking out those boats. No, I support the decision to knock out the boats.”
Just on Sunday that he spoke to reporters on board Air Force One. He was pressed to reveal if he felt it was correct to kill survivors, if that’s what had happened during the boat strikes. Initially, the U.S. President remarked that he would not have wanted a second strike on the boat. Since then, the administration has proclaimed the exact opposite. They have voiced strong support for Hegseth’s orders.
All the boat strikes were an ambush. No warnings. They were most likely headed to Tobago or Trinidad, the islands near Venezuela. Families of fisherman have said their relatives never came home. Trump and Hegseth are lying. Trump wants a war to get Venezuelan oil and hates Muduro
— Jayme Beebe (@BeebeJayme) December 4, 2025
Donald Trump now underlined that they are prepared to go ahead with land strikes in Venezuela as well. He cited how the U.S. had already received threats from them earlier this week. There have also been escalations between Trump and the Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
Talking about his plans for the land strikes, Trump stated, “Very soon, we’re going to start doing it on land, too,” he said. “You know, the land is much easier … And we know the routes they take. We know everything about them. We know where they live. We know where the bad ones live. And we’re going to start that very soon, too.”
The confirmation of possible land strikes of an impending land strike on the Venezuelan lands does not come as news, since Trump has been hinting at it for months. The goal has always been to broaden his plans to target confirmed drug targets, even on land. If he does end up carrying out these strikes within Latin American countries, it would end up increasing his administrative pull when it comes to dealing with anti-drug trafficking operations. Overall, the controversial strikes on 20 alleged drug boats on the Caribbean and Pacific Seas have killed over 80 people.
President Trump defended the follow-up strike on a Venezuelan boat by describing the operation as “war” against drug traffickers, while also signaling that the strikes may soon take place on land. pic.twitter.com/FGNHqhyx2z
— New York Post (@nypost) December 4, 2025
For context, the administration has argued that the strikes were aimed at the boats, not individuals. It is based on the secret OLC memo, which allows authorities to use lethal force against such accused drug trafficking vessels. As controversial comments taint the whole endeavor as an act of war, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has deemed that those were merely lawful actions against defined terrorist organizations trafficking drugs.
Drilling down into the confirmed details the department had received on what was actually happening on the boats, Hegseth mentioned, “We knew exactly who was in that boat. We knew exactly what they were doing, and we knew exactly who they represented.”
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt’s recent statement on the matter further defended accusations against Commander Adm Bradley, who carried out the mission in the first place. She said, “Adm Bradley worked well within his authority and the law, directing the engagement to ensure the boat was destroyed, and the threat to the United States of America was eliminated.”
