White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Monday strongly defended a recent series of U.S. military strikes targeting what the administration has labeled "narco-terrorist" groups.
She said that both President Donald Trump and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth acted firmly within their legal authority.
In an afternoon press briefing, Leavitt delivered a prepared statement before taking questions from reporters.
She began by underscoring the administration's position that organizations designated as narco-terrorist groups are subject to lethal targeting under the laws of war.
She said Trump and Hegseth have made clear that the United States reserves the right to use lethal force against groups trafficking illegal drugs toward the country, especially when such activities pose imminent threats to American lives and national interests.
Central to Monday's briefing was the Sept. 2 strike authorized by Hegseth, which targeted a vessel in international waters.
According to Leavitt, Hegseth delegated operational authority to Adm. Mitch Bradley, head of Special Operations Command, who ordered the strikes in accordance with established legal frameworks.
"Adm. Bradley worked well within his authority and the law," she said, emphasizing that the engagement ensured the destruction of the vessel and "eliminated the threat to the United States of America."
Leavitt framed the administration's aggressive posture as a necessary response to record levels of narcotics flowing into the United States.
Citing what she called catastrophic fentanyl trafficking under the prior administration, she argued that the current strategy — marked by dynamic military action — is both justified and supported by the American public.
"It's one of the many reasons the American public reelected this president," Leavitt said, linking popular support to the administration's hardline approach to drug-related threats.
In one exchange, Leavitt disputed reporting that Hegseth had issued an order that "everyone be killed," rejecting the characterization outright.
However, she reaffirmed the president's position that lethal force is authorized when individuals engage in drug-smuggling activities that threaten the American people.
"The president has made it quite clear that if narco-terrorists are trafficking drugs toward the United States, he has the authority to kill them," she said.
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