'This is a War': Trump Avoids Answering If Hegseth Should Face Punishment for Ordering Survivors Killed

On Wednesday, President Donald Trump declined to state in the Oval Office whether Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth or any other military officials should face consequences if they were found responsible for ordering the killing of survivors from a strike on a suspected drug trafficking vessel.

Hegseth is at the center of a mounting controversy, which is expected to trigger Congressional inquiries into whether his actions could be classified as a war crime.

During a press session, Trump was asked, If survivors were actually killed while clinging to that boat, should Secretary Hegseth, Admiral Bradley, or others be punished?

Trump responded: I think youre going to find that this is war. These people were killing our citizens by the millionsif you look at the past few years. Last year alone, nearly 300,000 people were lost.

He continued, Thats not even counting the families. Consider what happens to the families of not just the deceased, but those struggling to save their sons or daughters from this poison. There is strong support for the actions being taken to intercept these boats. Very soon, operations will extend onto land, because we know the routes, the houses, the production sites, and the storage locations. You will see land operations starting soon.

A reporter pressed further: So to be clear, do you support the decision to kill survivors after the

Trump replied, I support taking out the boats and anyone piloting them. Most of the operators are gone, but those piloting the boats were actively trying to harm our citizens.

Author: Gavin Porter