Headline Roundup • December 1st, 2025
Hegseth, Trump, Dispute WaPo Report on September 2 Bombing of Alleged Drug Boat
Defense And Security,Media Industry,Media Bias,Donald Trump,Defense Department,Pete Hegseth,Caribbean,The Americas,Latin America,Drug Cartels,US Military
Summary from the AllSides News Team
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and President Donald Trump have pushed back against a report from The Washington Post (Lean Left bias) that claimed Hegseth ordered the elimination of survivors in an attack on an alleged drug boat.
The Report: The Post reported, according to "two people with direct knowledge of the operation," on November 28, that during a September 2 strike on an alleged drug boat, Hegseth ordered all human targets to be neutralized. According to The Post, two of the 11 killed initially survived the attack, but then the Special Operations commander in charge ordered a follow-up strike to kill the remaining two. The Post said its report "adds another dimension to the campaign against suspected drug traffickers" who "pose no imminent threat of attack against the United States."
Hegseth's Reply: On Friday, Hegseth pushed back and wrote on X, "As usual, the fake news is delivering more fabricated, inflammatory, and derogatory reporting to discredit our incredible warriors fighting to protect the homeland… As we've said from the beginning, and in every statement, these highly effective strikes are specifically intended to be 'lethal, kinetic strikes'… Our current operations in the Caribbean are lawful under both U.S. and international law, with all actions in compliance with the law of armed conflict."
Trump's Remarks: Trump told reporters on Sunday, "I wouldn't have wanted that, not a second strike. The first strike was very lethal; it was fine. And if there were two people around… but Pete said that didn't happen. I have great confidence in him. I'm going to find out about it, but Pete said he did not order the death of those two men."
How The Media Covered It: The Washington Post followed up on November 30 with an article that highlighted Trump's denial and chronicled criticisms of the administration's actions in the Caribbean. NewsNation (Center) offered the full version of Trump's remarks featured above. Fox News (Right) prominently quoted Trump as saying, "No, I wouldn't have wanted that. Not a second strike," and mostly paraphrased details from the above quote.
Written by the AllSides staff (of humans). Learn more. Support our mission.
Featured Coverage of this Story
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The Washington Post
The longer the U.S. surveillance aircraft followed the boat, the more confident intelligence analysts watching from command centers became that the 11 people on board were ferrying drugs.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth gave a spoken directive, according to two people with direct knowledge of the operation. "The order was to kill everybody," one of them said.
President Donald Trump defended Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth following media reports that the Pentagon chief ordered a second strike on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean after an initial assault left two survivors earlier this year.
"I wouldn't have wanted that, not a second strike," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One as he returned to Washington. "The first strike was very lethal; it was fine. And if there were two people around … but Pete said that didn't happen. I have great confidence in him.
"I'm going...
President Donald Trump on Sunday defended Secretary of War Pete Hegseth over allegations he ordered a second strike on a Venezuelan drug boat, saying he believes Hegseth's denial and would not have supported a follow-up attack if it happened.
The exchange came during a gaggle aboard Air Force One as reporters pressed Trump on claims that Hegseth authorized a second strike that allegedly killed two wounded men after an earlier attack on a suspected drug-smuggling vessel.
