President Donald Trump defended Secretary of War Pete Hegseth amid allegations he ordered a second strike on an alleged narcotics vessel in the Caribbean on Sept. 2, 2025. (Aaron Schwartz/CNP/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Reporters asked Trump whether he would have approved a second strike if Hegseth had ordered one, prompting him to again distance himself from the allegation while stressing that he trusted his secretary of war.
Trump said he planned to seek additional information about the reported incident but reiterated that Hegseth assured him nothing improper happened.
"No, I wouldn’t have wanted that. Not a second strike," Trump said.
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Video footage showed the vessel shortly before it was destroyed. (@realDonaldTrump via Truth Social)
Trump went to Hegseth’s defense after reports from outlets such as The Washington Post and CNN claimed the U.S. military ordered a second strike on a suspected drug vessel in the Caribbean on Sept. 2 after the earlier attack left two survivors.
According to The Washington Post, the commander overseeing that operation told colleagues on a secure conference call that the survivors were legitimate targets because they could still contact other traffickers for help and ordered the second strike to comply with what he said was a directive from Hegseth that everyone must be killed.
"As usual, the fake news is delivering more fabricated, inflammatory and derogatory reporting to discredit our incredible warriors fighting to protect the homeland," Hegseth wrote on X on Friday.
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"As we’ve said from the beginning and in every statement, these highly effective strikes are specifically intended to be ‘lethal, kinetic strikes,’" Hegseth continued. "The declared intent is to stop lethal drugs, destroy narco-boats and kill the narco-terrorists who are poisoning the American people. Every trafficker we kill is affiliated with a Designated Terrorist Organization."
Fox News Digital’s Greg Norman and Alexandra Koch contributed to this report.
Greg Wehner is a breaking news reporter for Fox News Digital.
Story tips and ideas can be sent to Greg.Wehner@Fox.com and on Twitter @GregWehner.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-says-he-believes-hegseth-100-venezuelan-drug-boat-strike-denial-amid-allegations