President Donald J. Trump once said that the left would refuse to give him credit if he cured cancer, so wiping out a boatload of “narco-terrorists” is not about to earn their praise.

Nonetheless, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is unapologetic about striking a boat carrying 11 suspected Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang members, insisting the U.S. military had “absolute and complete” authority to attack the vessel in the southern Caribbean Sea, citing the “defense of the American people.”

“I’d say we smoked a drug boat and there’s 11 narco-terrorists at the bottom of the ocean — and when other people try to do that, they’re gonna meet the same fate,” the SecDef told reporters.

“I’d say we smoked a drug boat and there’s 11 narco-terrorists at the bottom of the ocean — and when other people try to do that, they’re gonna meet the same fate.”

Pete Hegseth said the U.S. military had the “absolute” authority to strike a Venezuelan boat carrying nearly a… pic.twitter.com/pK4cdv85wu

— Fox News (@FoxNews) September 5, 2025

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the drug boat was fair game because it “was being operated by a designated narco-terrorist organization.”

Trump designated drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations on his very first day in office.

“The Cartels have engaged in a campaign of violence and terror throughout the Western Hemisphere that has not only destabilized countries with significant importance for our national interests but also flooded the United States with deadly drugs, violent criminals, and vicious gangs,” he said at the time.

pic.twitter.com/5Ka5KjDYYt

— Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) September 2, 2025

For the anti-Trump crowd, the strike was just the latest dictate by a fascist administration — if they can defend criminal aliens who rape and murder, why not narco-terrorists?

This should outrage people who have served in the military, especially. The power to use force is a grave and solemn responsibility. That is why concepts of professionalism, honor, and chivalry are so critical. Without those things, you become the Russians.

— John Jackson (@hissgoescobra) September 3, 2025

1/ I worked at DoD. I literally cannot imagine lawyers coming up with a legal basis for lethal strike of suspected Venezuelan drug boat.

Hard to see how this would not be “murder” or war crime under international law that DoD considers applicable.

Read this expert analysis pic.twitter.com/eJ1cmxR7LF

— Ryan Goodman (@rgoodlaw) September 3, 2025

I am old enough to remember when boats suspected of smuggling drugs were searched, and people had their day in court. Innocent until proven guilty has been replaced with assassinations pic.twitter.com/9Hr5IUal6m

— Glenn Diesen (@Glenn_Diesen) September 4, 2025

On the other hand, some saw the strike as a cost-effective way to deal with drug smuggling operations that are costing thousands of American lives:

The missile (probably a hellfire at $70K) used to eliminate these smugglers and their narcotics was the absolute best and most efficient use of our tax dollars in the effort to solve the drug epidemic in the USA ever. The solution to drug cartels always was and is now an… pic.twitter.com/g1qTLLLeIZ

— daring_raider (@sgenaosg) September 5, 2025

I’ve deployed for counter narcotics ops in the Caribbean and what we did was highly ineffective as it was a numbers game and the cost of getting caught was low. This strike completely, and positively, changes that formula and will certainly have a major impact on trafficking.

— The Real McG (@DarkStar965) September 4, 2025

I once saw a documentary about how sloths sleep for hours on a tree, and when they wake up, they mistake their own arm for a branch, try to hang from it, then fall into the void and die.
It was the stupidest thing I had ever seen, until I saw your tweet.

— Swamp Donkey® (@liquid_rigidity) September 4, 2025

You’re only mad it wasn’t a boat full of Russians. Don’t act like you actually care.

— DVinny84 (@DVinny84) September 4, 2025

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Tom Tillison

Senior Staff Writer
Tom@bizpacreview.com

The longest-tenured writer at BizPac Review, Tom grew up in Maryland before moving to Central Florida as a young teen. It is in the Sunshine State that he honed both his passion for politics and his writing skills.

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