President Donald Trump on Thursday, Oct. 23, vowed to expand U.S. military operations against alleged drug traffickers beyond maritime routes and into land territories abroad, saying he would not seek a formal declaration of war from Congress. Speaking to reporters, Trump boasted that his administration’s strikes in the Caribbean and East Pacific had reduced illegal drug imports by sea to “less than 5%” of previous levels.
“The land is going to be next,” Trump declared. “And we may go to Congress and tell them about it, but I can’t imagine they’d have any problem with it. I think, in fact, if you go to Congress and tell them about it, what are they going to do? Say, ‘We don’t want to stop drugs pouring in?’” He added that while he would inform lawmakers of upcoming operations, he did not intend to request a formal war authorization.
When pressed on why he would bypass Congress, Trump offered a blunt response. “I’m not going to necessarily ask for a declaration of war,” he said. “I think we’re just going to kill people that are bringing drugs into our country. Okay? We’re going to kill them — they’re going to be, like, dead.” The comments mark one of Trump’s most direct endorsements yet of lethal force against non-state actors accused of drug trafficking.
The remarks have sparked alarm among legal experts and foreign governments, who warn that such actions could violate international law and strain diplomatic relations with nations in Latin America. Human-rights organizations have condemned the president’s rhetoric, calling it a “license for extrajudicial killings” that risks targeting civilians under the guise of anti-narcotics enforcement.
Democrats in Congress have already moved to challenge Trump’s authority to order strikes without legislative approval. Lawmakers argue that even anti-drug operations must comply with constitutional limits on the use of military force. Despite mounting criticism, Trump has remained defiant, insisting his approach is necessary to combat what he called the “poison” of drugs entering the United States.
