President Donald Trump said Wednesday he would make available any video the administration has of the Sept. 2 strike on an alleged drug-running vessel in the Caribbean Sea that ended with two survivors being killed. Speaking in the Oval Office to ABC News, Trump was asked whether the footage could be shown to the American public; he replied, “I don’t know what they have, but whatever they have, we’d certainly release no problem.” The administration has already posted video of an earlier strike.
When pressed about accountability and the conduct of the operation, Trump repeatedly described the situation in wartime terms, saying “this is war,” even though Congress has not authorized a formal declaration of war and the initial strike remains under scrutiny. ABC correspondent Selina Wang asked whether officials — including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Admiral Mitch Bradley (whom Hegseth says ordered the second strike) — should face consequences if survivors were killed while clinging to the boat. Trump did not provide a direct answer, instead emphasizing that the actions target people he described as responsible for killing Americans.
Asked more directly whether he supported a decision to kill survivors after the first strike, Trump said, “No. I support the decision to knock out the boats,” and added that those piloting the vessels were culpable for trying to harm people in the United States.
Trump’s offer to release any existing footage came ahead of Admiral Bradley’s scheduled closed-door briefing to lawmakers, during which some Republicans have also sought to view the material. Democrats and legal experts have warned that killing survivors could amount to a war crime and have raised questions about the legal and ethical rules governing such operations.
ABC News reported additional details Wednesday, citing a source familiar with the incident who said the survivors were considered “still in the fight” and therefore valid targets because they had returned to the boat, were believed to be communicating with others nearby, and were salvaging drugs from the vessel.