President Donald Trump took action against a Venezuelan drug ship believed to be smuggling large quantities of fentanyl into the United States, leading some critics on the left to accuse him of initiating a conflict.
Yet, the real declaration of war seems to stem from the Venezuelan narco-terrorist regime. Mark Levin argues that Trump is justified in his response.
Levin took aim at commentators like Rachel Maddow from MS NOW, who questioned the logic behind the Trump administration’s stance towards Venezuela. During a broadcast on December 2, she expressed her confusion, saying, “I don’t understand why we’re going to war with Venezuela.” Levin, however, countered her doubts, stating that the volume of drugs trafficked from Venezuela through Mexico into both the U.S. and Communist China is unmatched.
He believes this marks the first time in decades that a U.S. president has taken the Monroe Doctrine to heart. The Monroe Doctrine, established in 1823, essentially asserts that any significant action in the Western Hemisphere impacts the U.S. and warrants a response, potentially involving military force—a doctrine that prior administrations have largely ignored.
The claim that Trump committed war crimes by targeting Venezuelan drug vessels is, according to Levin, outrageous partisan rhetoric. He argued that if a government, led by narco-terrorists, utilizes its resources to harm American citizens, it constitutes an act of war, regardless of the method—whether drugs or bioweapons.
Levin also ridiculed Democrats who feigned concern over the treatment of narco-terrorists, suggesting that such reactions are merely performative. “It’s straightforward,” he remarked, “You see a drug ship; you sink it.”
According to Levin, the Constitution empowers the president as commander-in-chief to authorize military actions like the destruction of a Venezuelan drug ship without needing a formal war declaration. He argued that historically, many military actions initiated by presidents have occurred without prior congressional approval. For instance, President Jefferson engaged in a significant naval war against the Barbary Pirates in 1801 without such a declaration.
Levin contends that labeling Trump a war criminal reveals that Democratic criticism is more about ideology than about genuine concerns for democracy or the Constitution. “They’re on the side of the enemy,” he asserted.
