‘We’re just gonna kill people’: Trump says he doesn’t need a declaration of war for strikes on suspected drug smugglers
Donald Trump’s statement on Thursday that he has no intention of asking Congress for a declaration of war ahead of possible strikes on suspected drug smugglers in Venezuela, “we’re just gonna kill people that are bringing drugs into our country”, thrilled his supporters but disturbed many Americans.
Asked by a reporter if he intended to go to Congress, Trump suggested that his administration would brief lawmakers on the military operation, but said that he saw no reason to seek congressional authorization.
“I don’t think we’re gonna necessarily ask for a declaration of war, I think we’re just gonna kill people that are bringing drugs into our country. OK? We’re gonna to kill them. They’re going to be, like, dead,” the president said.
While Trump supporters posted video of the remarks on social media with a mic-drop emoji, a Democratic party account posted it without comment, apparently certain that the president’s violation of constitutional provision that only Congress can declare war was obvious.
Justin Amash, a former Republican congressman from Michigan, was more explicit in his criticism. “The Constitution doesn’t permit a president to act as the legislature and judiciary on top of being the chief executive,” Amash wrote on X. “If it’s war, he must go to Congress. If it’s crime, he must go to court. When there’s no imminent danger, there’s no justification for unilateral strikes.”
“I don’t know how anyone can read the absurd commentary from Maga, Inc., accounts regarding war powers and think these people are any better than the neocons on war,” he added. “If anything, the rhetoric is much more supportive now of unilateral militarism than it was even in the early 2000s.”
Adam Schiff, a Democratic senator from California, responded to Trump’s statement with the comment: “The president should come to Congress. Legally, he is required to come to Congress. Though he may not get the answer he expects. Americans don’t want another war.”
Last week, Schiff joined senators Tim Kaine, a Virginia Democrat, and Rand Paul, a Kentucky Republican, to introduce a war powers resolution that would have blocked the use of US military strikes within or against Venezuela. The measure failed to win a majority in the Senate.
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Closing summary
This concludes our live coverage of the second Trump administration for the day, but we will be back at it on Friday. Here are the latest developments:
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The federal government remains shut down.
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Donald Trump canceled plans for a federal deployment to San Francisco at the request of two billionaire supporters, but he reiterated threats to Chicago.
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Trump said that he does not plan to ask Congress to declare war on Venezuela,