❓WHAT HAPPENED: President Donald J. Trump has reportedly ordered the Pentagon to prepare military options for targeting drug cartels designated as terrorist organizations.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: President Donald J. Trump, the Pentagon, White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Attorney General Pam Bondi, and former Department of State lawyer Brian Finucane.
📍WHEN & WHERE: The possible military operations were revealed on Friday, August 8, 2025, involving border operations and actions targeting cartels in Venezuela and Mexico.
💬KEY QUOTE: “President Trump’s top priority is protecting the homeland, which is why he took the bold step to designate several cartels and gangs as foreign terrorist organizations.” – White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly
🎯IMPACT: The designation of cartels as terrorist organizations enables the use of military and intelligence resources to target these groups, raising questions about legality and operational scope.
President Donald J. Trump has directed the Pentagon to devise military strategies to target international drug cartels that his administration has labeled as foreign terrorist organizations (FTOs). According to individuals familiar with the decision, U.S. defense officials are actively evaluating possible missions to either capture or eliminate high-value individuals involved in global narcotics trafficking.
The move marks a significant escalation in the Trump administration’s approach to transnational crime. White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly explained the administration’s rationale, stating, “President Trump’s top priority is protecting the homeland, which is why he took the bold step to designate several cartels and gangs as foreign terrorist organizations.”
Among the groups recently classified under this new designation are MS-13, Tren de Aragua, and the Venezuelan Cartel of the Suns. Officials argue that treating these organizations as terrorist threats will allow a broader use of U.S. power beyond law enforcement.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio emphasized the strategic benefits of the designation: “Labeling cartels as terrorist groups allows the U.S. to use other elements of American power, intelligence agencies, the Department of Defense, whatever, to target these groups if we have an opportunity to do it. We have to start treating them as armed terrorist organizations, not simply drug-dealing organizations.”
In conjunction with the policy shift, the administration also unveiled a major bounty targeting Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. A reward of $50 million is being offered for information leading to his arrest, as part of a broader crackdown on what U.S. officials allege is a criminal narco-state network.
Attorney General Pam Bondi tied Maduro directly to the narcotics crisis, saying, “Maduro uses foreign terrorist organizations like Tren de Aragua, Sinaloa, and Cartel of the Suns that bring deadly drugs and violence into our country. Today, the DEA has seized 30 tons of cocaine linked to Maduro, and his associates, with nearly 7 tons linked to Maduro himself, which represents a primary source of income for the deadly cartels based in Venezuela and Mexico.”
Join Pulse+ to comment below, and receive exclusive e-mail analyses.