Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky publicly criticized Vice President JD Vance after Vance argued that using the U.S. military to target cartel members responsible for trafficking fentanyl and other narcotics is justified, as reported by Fox News.
The exchange began Saturday when Vance posted on X: “Killing cartel members who poison our fellow citizens is the highest and best use of our military.”
Killing cartel members who poison our fellow citizens is the highest and best use of our military.
— JD Vance (@JDVance) September 6, 2025
Paul responded with a sharp rebuke, questioning both the legality and morality of Vance’s position.
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“JD ‘I don’t give a sh*t’ Vance says killing people he accuses of a crime is the ‘highest and best use of the military.’ Did he ever read To Kill a Mockingbird? Did he ever wonder what might happen if the accused were immediately executed without trial or representation?? What a despicable and thoughtless sentiment it is to glorify killing someone without a trial,” Paul wrote.
JD “I don’t give a shit” Vance says killing people he accuses of a crime is the “highest and best use of the military.”
Did he ever read To Kill a Mockingbird?
Did he ever wonder what might happen if the accused were immediately executed without trial or representation??… https://t.co/VdnJbZkGfS
— Rand Paul (@RandPaul) September 7, 2025
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The clash comes as the Biden-era opioid crisis has escalated under President Trump’s administration efforts to combat fentanyl trafficking.
Just last week, President Trump shared video footage on Truth Social of what he described as “a kinetic strike against positively identified Tren de Aragua Narcoterrorists,” whom he said were intercepted in international waters transporting narcotics bound for the United States.
Vance’s comments drew further criticism online, with one X user writing, “Killing the citizens of another nation who are civilians without any due process is called a war crime.”
The vice president quickly fired back. “I don’t give a sh*t what you call it,” Vance responded.
I don’t give a shit what you call it
— JD Vance (@JDVance) September 6, 2025
Other Republicans moved to defend Vance’s remarks. Sen. Bernie Moreno of Ohio directly addressed Paul’s criticism, accusing him of prioritizing the rights of cartel members over the safety of Americans.
“What’s really despicable is defending foreign terrorist drug traffickers who are directly responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Americans in Kentucky and Ohio. JD understands that our first responsibility is to protect the life and liberty of American citizens,” Moreno wrote on X.
What’s really despicable is defending foreign terrorist drug traffickers who are *directly* responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Americans in Kentucky and Ohio. JD understands that our first responsibility is to protect the life and liberty of American citizens. https://t.co/CctF4f07nD
— Bernie Moreno (@berniemoreno) September 7, 2025
The exchange underscores ongoing divisions among Republicans over how aggressively to respond to the threat posed by drug cartels operating across the southern border and in international waters.
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