WASHINGTON (NewsNation) — President Donald Trump hosted a roundtable discussion with officials Thursday afternoon to discuss his administration’s efforts to thwart drug cartels and human trafficking.
Those scheduled to appear include Stephen Miller, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, FBI Director Kash Patel and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard.
Earlier this month, Trump declared the U.S. is now at war with drug cartels deemed by the White House as terrorist groups. Since then, the administration has struck several small boats off Venezuela and another in the Pacific, alleging drug smuggling. The U.S. military strikes have killed at least 32 people.
Trump said Wednesday the administration may go to Congress for authorization to strike drug cartels that are smuggling narcotics on land.
“We will hit them very hard when they come in by land. And they haven’t experienced that yet, but now we’re totally prepared to do that. We’ll probably go back to Congress and explain exactly what we’re doing when [they] come to the land,” the president said at the White House on Wednesday while sitting alongside NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte.