Rep. Brian Mast, R-Fla., on Wednesday strongly defended President Donald Trump's recent strikes on Colombian drug-smuggling vessels, calling the president's actions a necessary defense of the homeland and framing the flow of narcotics into the United States as a form of "chemical warfare."
During his appearance on Newsmax's "National Report," Mast rejected the idea that Trump's actions represented diplomatic friction with South American allies, instead emphasizing the seriousness of the drug threat and the president's commitment to American security.
"I wouldn't see this as a breakdown in communications," Mast said. "I would say this is making sure that we don't have an illusion of security, an illusion of having success in some kind of war on drugs, which is what's gone on decade after decade, pouring billions of dollars into Colombia, but still having this chemical warfare."
Mast, who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Committee, underscored that the flow of drugs from Latin America is not simply a criminal issue but a direct assault on Americans' safety and well-being.
"That's what it is — it's chemical warfare, these drugs coming into the United States of America," he said.
The Florida congressman credited Trump with taking bold action to confront this long-standing threat, saying the president's every move reflects his determination to protect U.S. citizens.
"Here's what you're not going to change about him," Mast said. "He is not a globalist. He is all American, protecting the homeland, the people of the United States of America."
Mast pointed to several examples of Trump's homeland-focused agenda, linking the strikes on drug vessels to broader efforts to strengthen domestic security and national sovereignty.
"In every action that he undertakes, whether it's going into our blue cities that are overrun by crime, that's protecting the homeland," he said.
"Whether it's getting rid of illegal immigrants in the United States of America, that's protecting the homeland. Whether it's making sure that these drugs coming out of ... Venezuela or Colombia or anywhere else across the Gulf of America, don't reach our shores, that's protecting the homeland."
Mast praised Trump's consistency and resolve, saying, "You're not going to change President Trump, and I thank God for that."
He added, "Every action by President Trump is him protecting the people of the United States of America, and he will never waver in that."
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