WASHINGTON

President Donald Trump on Wednesday defended the US military’s controversial strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean, insisting the operations have saved thousands of American lives even as lawmakers intensify demands for the release of unedited footage from a Sept. 2 incident.

During an exchange with reporters at the White House, Trump was asked why the administration had released video of the first strike but not the second, which is at the center of allegations that survivors clinging to wreckage may have been killed.

"I don't know what they have, but whatever they have would certainly (be) released. No problem," he said.

Earlier, US Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer renewed his call for the Pentagon to release the full tapes of the Sept. 2 strikes on an alleged Venezuelan drug-smuggling boat, warning that the lack of transparency poses legal risks for service members and erodes public trust.

Trump claimed the military’s operations have drastically reduced maritime drug trafficking.

"Every boat we knock out, we save 25,000 American lives...and we're going to start very soon on land," he added.

Pressed on whether senior officials — including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth or Adm. Frank Bradley, the commander of the US Special Operations Command — should face consequences if it is confirmed that survivors were killed in the second strike, Trump insisted the operations must be viewed through the lens of combat.

"I think you're going to find that this is war...very soon we're going to start doing it on land too," he said.

When asked again whether he supported “the decision to kill survivors,” Trump rejected the premise but stood by the mission.

"No! I support the decision to knock out the boats. And whoever is piloting those boats, most of them are gone, but whoever is piloting those boats, they're guilty of trying to kill people in our country," he said.

On Tuesday, Hegseth said he was not in the room when Bradley ordered a follow-up attack that reportedly killed survivors of a previous US strike on the alleged drug boat.

When asked whether his "pressure campaign" on Venezuela is working, Trump said: "It's not a pressure campaign—it's much beyond that, I think."

Trump said he spoke to his Venezuelan counterpart, Nicolas Maduro, "briefly."

"Just told him a couple of things. We'll see what happens with that," he added.