Trump Will ‘Wage War’ on Cartels After Deadly U.S. Strike [WATCH]

Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared Wednesday that President Donald Trump is prepared to “wage war” on narcoterrorist organizations following a U.S. military strike that destroyed a drug-carrying vessel off the coast of Venezuela.

The operation, carried out Tuesday, targeted members of the Tren de Aragua cartel and resulted in the deaths of 11 individuals on board the ship.

The strike marked a significant escalation in the administration’s campaign against Latin American cartels.

In recent weeks, the White House ordered additional Navy destroyers and several thousand Marines to the Caribbean to reinforce efforts to disrupt narcotics trafficking routes.

Rubio, speaking at a press conference in Mexico City, defended the strike as both necessary and effective.

“This one was operating in international waters, headed towards the United States to flood our country with poison,” Rubio said.

“Under President Trump, those days are over.”

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The secretary emphasized that interdiction alone has proven insufficient. “Interdiction doesn’t work because these drug cartels, what they do is they know they’re going to lose 2% of their cargo. They bake it into their economics,” Rubio explained.

“When you blow them up, you get rid of them.” https://t.co/vLcBlvS2f7 pic.twitter.com/7YI9vaPDQh

— Based State Department (@BasedStateDept) September 3, 2025

Rubio’s comments came as he met with Mexican officials to reinforce joint cooperation against narcoterrorism and illegal immigration.

The U.S. State Department confirmed that the two nations have established a high-level implementation group to oversee and coordinate their joint efforts.

In a joint U.S.-Mexico statement, the governments outlined commitments to “counter the cartels, strengthen border security, and eliminate clandestine border tunnels, address illicit financial flows, enhance collaboration to prevent fuel theft, increase inspections, investigations, and prosecutions to stop the flow of drugs and arms.”

Rubio has highlighted the strike on social media, including a video clip of the attack that showed the moment the U.S. military destroyed the vessel.

https://t.co/o5xOQ6HRFg pic.twitter.com/s9ktAlDQUi

— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) September 2, 2025

The footage has circulated widely online, though one Venezuelan official suggested the video was artificially generated.

The United States has increased its naval presence in waters near Venezuela, positioning forces to intercept traffickers and deter cartel activity.

Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, who the U.S. does not recognize as the legitimate president, has repeatedly condemned Washington’s anti-cartel operations in the region.

While Maduro has yet to directly address Tuesday’s strike, Venezuelan officials have criticized the growing U.S. military presence near their coastline.

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth also addressed the operation in an interview Wednesday morning. “This is a deadly serious mission for us, and it won’t stop with just this strike,” Hegseth said on Fox & Friends.

“Anyone else trafficking in the waters who we know is a terrorist will face the same fate, and it is important to protect our homeland and hemisphere.”

Hegseth added that the president’s approach to cartel operations marks a shift in strategy.

“President Trump is willing to go on offense in ways others have not been,” he said.

The strike and the administration’s broader actions reflect a commitment to more aggressive operations against international narcotics trafficking.

U.S. officials have said the campaign will continue as part of a larger effort to confront cartels before drugs reach American shores.