President Trump, for the second time this month, announced via his social media account on TruthSocial that he ordered a US military attack against a small boat containing "confirmed narcoterrorists" near Venezuela.
The Department of Defense released video of the small boat, which did not appear to be moving before it was attacked and burst into flames.
The September 15, 2025, attack follows another attack that President Trump ordered against another small boat off Venezuela earlier this month.
On Tuesday, September 2, 2025, President Trump announced via social media that "on my orders," US Military Forces attacked "positively identified Tren de Aragua Narcoterrorists ... in International waters transporting illegal narcotics, heading to the United States. The strike resulted in 11 terrorists killed in action," Trump wrote.
Prior service members reacted with alarm to the first attack in US military-related Reddit discussion groups.
Here's a sample comment from one who identified as a US Navy veteran:
"It doesn't take 11 people to transport drugs, what if they were trafficking people? What if we just murdered some poor people who got kidnapped by a gang, when we could have rescued them? The point is, we don't know because they blew the boat up, along with any information about it and what it was actually doing." -Navy Veteran
The President was unmoved by the criticism.
During remarks at the White House after the first attack, President Trump indicated this would not be a "one-off" attack, telling reporters, "There’s more where that came from."
Monday morning, he made good on that promise.
What are your thoughts about the US Navy blowing up suspected drug-smuggling boats?
Share your thoughts in the comments to this article!
Abrazos,
Jack Beavers
Here's a funny thing about official vs unofficial wars: US forces could have been blowing up stuff like this [on land] every week in Afghanistan for the past 20 years, and nobody knows or cares.
Because it's not a declared war, and especially because it's Trump, Every Death Is A Tragedy. They could have been innocent fishermen! [Who were just using plastic wrapped bales for seating.] Those things that look like guns through binoculars might have been fishing rods! [With banana clips, like fishing rods have if you're trying to catch something feisty.]
I hope they publish an address for the funeral parlor, in case anyone wants to send a wreath.