Trump Says US Will Expand Anti-Drug Operations to Land, Rules Out Declaration of War

US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that his administration plans to brief Congress on ongoing operations against drug cartels and indicated that ground operations could follow soon, though he ruled out seeking a formal declaration of war.

The US military has recently expanded its presence in the Caribbean, deploying guided-missile destroyers, F-35 fighter jets, a nuclear submarine, and thousands of troops as part of its intensified anti-narcotics campaign.

“Well, I don’t think we’re going to necessarily ask for a declaration of war. I think we’re just going to kill people that are bringing drugs into our country. OK? We’re going to kill them,” Trump told reporters at the White House.

Since early September, the United States has conducted multiple strikes on suspected drug vessels in the Caribbean and Pacific, killing nearly 40 people. The Pentagon has provided limited details but confirmed that some operations targeted vessels near Venezuela.

“Now they are coming in by land … you know, the land is going to be next,” Trump added, reiterating recent comments about expanding anti-cartel operations.

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro warned in a televised speech that any US intervention would be met with mass resistance. “If the US ever intervened in our country, the working class would rise, and millions of men and women with rifles would march across the country,” he said.

Last week, Reuters reported that two suspected drug traffickers survived a US military strike in the Caribbean and were rescued before being repatriated to Colombia and Ecuador.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, seated beside Trump during Thursday’s briefing, defended the decision. “In Iraq and Afghanistan, we captured thousands on the battlefield and handed over 99 percent to host-nation authorities,” he said. “Did we always like the outcome? Not always. But it was the standard, and it’s the same here.”