Trump defends US military strike on alleged drug boat from Venezuela
'You see the bags of drugs all over the boat, and they were hit. Obviously, they won't be doing it again,' says US president
WASHINGTON
US President Donald Trump sought to push back on criticism Wednesday of a strike he authorized on an alleged drug boat from Venezuela that killed 11 people.
Asked by a reporter why those on the boat were killed rather than taken into custody and put to trial on criminal charges, he said there were "massive amounts of drugs coming into our country" on the boat.
"Everybody fully understands that. In fact, you see it. You see the bags of drugs all over the boat, and they were hit. Obviously, they won't be doing it again, and I think a lot of other people won't be doing it again when they watch that tape," he said at the White House while hosting his Polish counterpart.
"Venezuela's been very bad, both in terms of drugs and sending some of the worst criminals anywhere in the world into our country," he added.
Trump on Tuesday alleged that the boat was operated by the Tren de Aragua transnational criminal organization, which he has designated a terrorist group.
Earlier this year, Trump cited the group as a reason for deporting hundreds of alleged “gang members” to an El Salvadoran prison without hearings, but his administration later admitted that at least some of them were deported mistakenly.
Trump also touted a video that appears to show the US military hitting the boat with a munition, prompting it to explode into a fireball.
Venezuelan Communications Minister Freddy Nanez cast doubt on the authenticity of the video, however.
“Based on the video provided, it is very likely that it was created using Artificial Intelligence,” he wrote on his Telegram account.
Tensions between the Trump administration and Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro recently escalated after the US deployed a naval group to the southern Caribbean. The US claims the force is there to combat criminal cartels and drug trafficking.
The deployment of forces to the region followed an increased reward of $50 million for information leading to Maduro's arrest.
"They're trying to demonize me," Maduro said at a news conference Monday. "We're not going to accept anyone applying their model to us."
