Trump Boasts About Reducing ‘Ocean Drugs… Almost Down to Nothing’
President Donald Trump bragged that “ocean drugs” have been greatly reduced thanks to his summary bombing of boats in international waters.
In recent weeks, the Department of Defense has bombed several ships – mostly in the Caribbean – that the administration says were carrying drugs and “narcoterrorists.” The government has provided no evidence for the claim, and even if true, blowing up ships in such a manner is of dubious legality. On Wednesday, Reuters reported that the U.S. blew up a boat in the eastern Pacific Ocean, seemingly the first such strike in that body of water.
Hours later, the president took questions from reporters at the White House, where one journalist asked if the administration has the “legal authority” to carry out the strikes.
“Yes, we do,” Trump said. “We have legal authority. We’re allowed to do that, and if we do by land, we may go back to Congress. But we have– this is a national security problem.”
He later reiterated that the administration will “probably” go to Congress to explain the rationale behind bombings on land. Trump then asked Secretary of State Marco Rubio to say a few words.
“Bottom line, these are drug boats,” Rubio said. “If people wanna stop seeing drug boats blow up, stop sending drugs to the United States.”
The secretary added, “We track them from the very beginning. We know who’s on them, who they are, where they’re coming from, what they have on them. And, you know, if you’re running drug boats, you’re in grave danger.”
Trump responded by claiming drug use is “way down” before discussing “ocean drugs”:
And drug usage is way down. And drug usage coming from the sea, they call it ocean drugs. A little term that they use. The ocean drugs is very close to nonexistent right now. I wouldn’t wanna be in one of those boats heading away. You know, they’re driving happily to destroy the lives of people, and they end up– that’s the end of them.
So, the ocean drugs and the sea drugs, drugs by sea, they call it also, that’s almost down to nothing, as you can imagine.
Watch above via C-SPAN.
