Vice President JD Vance has always been skeptical of foreign intervention, while, it is said, National Security Advisor Stephen Miller is a staunch advocate for refocusing the United States on the Americas. Trump was the first to speak this way, said Alexander Gray, a former chief of staff for the White House National Security Council under Trump, noting that Trump was one of the first in the 21st century to link these two issues together. However, while Republicans generally support this, putting all of Central and South America at risk would make even the most hawks feel uneasy and dissatisfied. Recently, Republicans, such as Senator Eric Schmitt of Missouri, have called for a focus on 'the homeland and the hemisphere' instead of monitoring the entire world. The White House considers the regime illegitimate, and although Trump and Maduro spoke on the phone a few days ago, neither has shown any willingness to back down. From 'Real Clear Politics' 'The Cartels' and American administrations Boats continue to sail off the coast of Venezuela, and the American military continues to sink them. And he concluded by saying, 'Anyone who does that and sells it in our country is subject to attack.' Although these threats were made spontaneously during a casual conversation, they are dangerous threats. Gray said, 'We have a direct stake in the security of the Western Hemisphere in general, and that's where this conversation expands to include places like Colombia and others.' The shift in foreign policy has concerned some on the right who believed that supporting a second Trump term would mean signing up for less, not more, foreign intervention, not to mention a possible regime change south of the U.S. border. The right call Despite the administration publicly talking about this war for several months, the White House has refused to go to Congress to ask for those authorities. According to Washington, 'This Marxist regime, which deals with both China and Russia, has always been a thorn in the side of the United States.' Trump added regarding the country most responsible for exporting this drug: 'If they come in through a certain country, or any country, or if we think they're building factories to make fentanyl or cocaine — I hear that some country in Colombia makes cocaine. And he added that the admiral in charge of the operation 'made the right call' when he ordered a second strike on the same boat. Trump has entered into a geopolitical game with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, whom the Justice Department has implicated in drug trafficking, and accused him of leading a criminal group called the 'de los Soles' cartel. But it seemed he was thinking about the repercussions of his threat at that moment, starting with Venezuela before moving on to Colombia, and finally issuing his final warning in general terms. Dangerous threats Trump said about the ongoing strikes against suspected drug boats off the coast of Venezuela: 'I want to get rid of those boats, and if we have to, we'll attack on land, too, just like we attack at sea.' As commander in chief of the armed forces, he has fulfilled this promise by sending the USS Gerald Ford carrier strike group to the Caribbean, whereas previous administrations treated the drug issue as a law enforcement matter, Trump ordered direct military strikes, leading to the sinking of up to 22 boats and the deaths of at least 83 suspected smugglers. Decisive strikes Meanwhile, a White House spokesperson told Real Clear Politics: 'Recent history proves how foolish any foreign leader is to try and test Trump's threats.' And Rebecca Heinrichs, director of the Keystone Defense Initiative at the Hudson Institute, said, 'It would not be difficult for the Trump administration to wipe out that operation with air strikes.' As the final government meeting of this year ended, U.S. President Donald Trump significantly expanded his 'Western Hemisphere' principle: 'Any country that produces drugs and ships them to the streets of America (is subject to attack).' The president was somewhat hasty in his dramatic announcement about the use of military force. According to the State Department's International Strategy for Drug Control report, more than 12 countries are involved in this trade, from the small nation of Belize to the larger Mexico. The question here is: how many of those countries are being attacked right now? The answer is: there's a difference between dealing with drug boats and countries, as the Trump administration noted (before citing statements made by Secretary of State Marco Rubio last November, where he named Mexico, El Salvador, and Ecuador as examples), while many countries have drug operations on their soil, the U.S. also has 'strong cooperation' with those countries to stop the flow of drugs northward. He added: 'On the other hand, the Venezuelan regime has long facilitated the use of Venezuelan territory as a transit point for drugs.' Focus on the homeland By issuing such a sweeping announcement, the American president is creating a new precedent. Rubio said: 'Here's the difference between those countries and drug boats: with drug boats, we have no cooperation.' Trump was the first candidate in the previous election to propose using the military to destroy the cartels. He promised during his campaign to fight the 'cartels,' as White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said, and now he is attacking the scourge of drug-related terrorism that has led to the deaths of innocent Americans for no reason'. She added: 'All of these decisive strikes have been against known terrorists bringing deadly poison to our shores, and the President will continue to use all elements of American force to prevent the flow of drugs into our country.' Drug trafficking Drug trafficking is widespread in Central and South America. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters he authorized the first strike and watched it, but clarified that 'I did not see any survivors with my own eyes.' Hegseth, sitting next to Trump, said: 'This is what they call the fog of war.' The controversy escalated after the U.S., reportedly, launched a second strike on one of the suspected drug boats, killing its crew. American intelligence likely knows the usual routes these drugs take to get into the U.S. The 'cartels' have worried American administrations since the days when former President Ronald Reagan encouraged American youth to just 'say no.' Efforts to fight drug use in the U.S. and direct military intervention in the decades since have not been successful. This idea is popular throughout the right wing. They have factories to make cocaine, well! They sell us cocaine. We really appreciate it.'
