Rep. Carlos Gimenez, R-Fla., delivered a forceful defense of the Trump administration's stepped-up military strikes on narco-trafficking vessels during an appearance Wednesday on Newsmax, arguing the operations are essential to protecting U.S. citizens from a drug pipeline that has killed hundreds of thousands of Americans.
Gimenez, who sits on both the Homeland Security and Armed Services Committees, told "Wake Up America" that he has "zero problem" with the administration's decision to target and destroy suspected narcotics boats operating near Venezuela, describing the traffickers as "narco-terrorists" whose cargo represents a lethal threat to the homeland.
"I support them 150%," Gimenez declared. "That boatload has more potential to kill more Americans than a boatload full of explosives."
Gimenez said that fentanyl and cocaine smuggling constitutes an ongoing war against the United States — one that the government has failed to confront with the seriousness it deserves.
With more than half a million American overdose deaths in recent years, he said, it is long past time for Washington to "take the war to them."
But Gimenez also blasted Democrats for attacking Secretary of War Pete Hegseth over the recent strikes, including claims from some on the left that Hegseth committed a war crime by conducting a second strike after an initial hit left a suspected drug-smuggling vessel burning at sea.
Gimenez called the criticism politically motivated and historically inconsistent.
"It's OK if [then-] President [Barack] Obama did it, but now they're calling this a war crime?" he said. "It's a double standard."
Gimenez pointed to Obama-era drone operations that targeted and killed American citizens who had joined terrorist groups overseas — actions he noted that were not met with comparable outrage from Democrats at the time.
By contrast, he said, Hegseth was simply carrying out his mission to neutralize a deadly narcotics shipment capable of killing far more Americans than ISIS or al-Qaida attacks.
He emphasized that battlefield commanders must be trusted to finish the job when dealing with armed traffickers and unstable, hostile regimes.
"I'm not going to second-guess an admiral destroying a boat full of narco-terrorists," Gimenez said. "The number one job of government is to protect its people."
GET TODAY NEWSMAX+:
NEWSMAX is the fastest-growing cable news channel in America with more than 30 million people watching!
Reuters Institute reports NEWSMAX is one of the top news brands in the U.S.
You need to watch NEWSMAX today.
Get it with great shows from Rob Schmitt, Greta Van Susteren, Greg Kelly, Carl Higbie, Rob Finnerty – and many more!
Find the NEWSMAX channel on your cable system – Go Here Now
BEST OFFER:
Sign up for NEWSMAX+ and get NEWSMAX, our streaming channel NEWSMAX2 and our military channel World at War.
Find hundreds of shows, movies and specials.
Even get Jon Voight's special series and President Trump's comedy programs and much more!
Watch NEWSMAX+ on your smartphone or home TV app.
Watch NEWSMAX anytime, anywhere!
Start your FREE trial now: NewsmaxPlus.com
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.