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Andrea Austria // Media Matters

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Right-wing media continue to praise Trump's legally questionable boat strikes in the Caribbean

The strikes, which have killed at least 83, came under additional scrutiny following reports that a follow-up was ordered to kill survivors of a September 2 attack

Written by Jack Winstanley, Noah Dowe, Isabella Corrao, Jane Lee & Helena Hind

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Updated

Update (12/5/25): This piece has been updated for clarity and to add new information and examples.

Right-wing media have continued to defend and even praise the Trump administration’s military actions in the Caribbean as questions linger over the legality of the recent boat strikes, including after The Washington Post reported that a second strike was launched to kill survivors during an attack in September, prompting congressional inquiries.

Despite these new allegations and continued warnings from experts that these strikes could be “extrajudicial killing” or a “war crime,” figures on Fox News and other right-wing media applauded the administration for “just blowing up the boats,” and said they will “vote for the government that will mercilessly kill drug dealers.”

They’ve also defended President Donald Trump and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth following the Post’s reporting that the latter called for the strike to “kill everybody,” with right-wing media personalities arguing that “international laws aren’t real” and saying they would “really like to see them suffer.”

Few in right-wing media have outwardly questioned the follow-up strike’s legality — with one notable exception being Newsmax's Andrew Napolitano, who called for the entire chain of command to be “prosecuted for a war crime.”

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  • New reporting on the strikes raises concerns about potential “war crime,” building on previous warnings from legal experts and at least one U.S. ally

    • Following a report from The Washington Post that the September 2 strike on a suspected drug trafficking vessel initially left survivors, both the House and Senate announced that they would launch separate inquiries into the strike. The Washington Post reported that Hegseth had given an order to “kill everybody” during the September 2 boat strike that left 11 dead, according to sources “with direct knowledge of the operation,” with the special operations commander launching a second missile to kill survivors of the initial strike in order “to comply with Hegseth's instructions.” Some legal experts have posited that the strikes amount to either a “war crime” or “murder.” According to the Post, “a group of former military lawyers and senior leaders” said in a statement that “not only does international law prohibit targeting these survivors, but it also requires the attacking force to protect, rescue, and, if applicable, treat them as prisoners of war” and that “violations of these obligations are war crimes, murder, or both.” Though Hegseth has since said the story was “fabricated,” it’s worth noting that he used his time as a Fox host to lobby the Trump administration to pardon Americans accused and convicted of war crimes. The Washington Post later reported that Adm. Frank Bradley, who oversaw the September 2 attack and held classified meetings with members of Congress on December 4, “confirmed that Hegseth had given a verbal order ahead of the operation to kill the passengers and destroy the boat.” [The Washington Post, 11/29/25, 12/1/25, 12/4/25; The Hill, 12/1/25; NBC News, 11/29/25; Media Matters, 12/1/25]
    • Hegseth’s story on the strikes has shifted since September 3. The day after the strike, Hegseth was interviewed on Fox News, where he said, “I watched it live,” boasting that, “We knew exactly who was in that boat, we knew exactly what they were doing, and we knew exactly who they represented.” After The Washington Post released its November 28 report, Hegseth claimed the story was “fabricated” and said, “I didn’t stick around for the hour and two hours, whatever, where all the sensitive site exploitation digitally occurs, so I moved on to my next meeting.” [Time magazine, 12/3/25]
    • Since September, the Trump administration has carried out at least 23 strikes targeting what it has claimed are suspected drug smuggling vessels, in which at least 87 people have been killed. The administration has argued that the boats are carrying fentanyl, cocaine, or other narcotics and are being operated by “narcoterrorists.” [CNN, 11/16/25, 12/2/25; ABC News, 11/16/25]
    • The strikes have drawn bipartisan concern in Washington, and several legal experts have said they are likely illegal. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) stated during a Fox News appearance that Congress has seen “no evidence” to support the administration's claims that the strikes have targeted drug traffickers. The New York Times has reported that a “broad range of specialists in laws governing the use of lethal force have called Mr. Trump’s orders to the military patently illegal.” [The Hill, 10/26/25; The New York Times, 10/24/25]
    • In early November, CNN reported that the United Kingdom “is no longer sharing intelligence” on vessels in the Caribbean with the U.S. “because it does not want to be complicit in US military strikes and believes the attacks are illegal.” Similarly, the UN’s human rights chief Volker Türk stated that the strikes amount to “extrajudicial killing.” [CNN, 11/11/25]
    • Over the last few months, many in right-wing media have defended the attacks, hand-waved criticism, and even pushed for escalation with Venezuela. In the immediate wake of the strikes, several right-wing media figures rushed to put forward their own legal justifications, with Fox host Laura Ingraham arguing that those opposed to the strikes were “defending the drug lords.” As the strikes continued, Fox News figures continued to validate the strikes as a “great move” and some even suggested they would support regime change in Venezuela, claiming that the Maduro government is “part of the cartel.” [Media Matters, 9/5/25, 10/29/25, 11/24/25]

  • RIght-wing media praised the boat strikes and defended them as “totally legal”

    • Fox host Greg Gutfeld on the September 2 strike: “Trump just said to America, I hear you, watch this. The sharks are happy. They just got a big free meal.” [Fox News, The Five, 9/3/25]
    • Megyn Kelly attempted to justify the strikes: “Does drug trafficking warrant death? The answer is yes — yes, it does.” Kelly continued: “The answer to why didn't we just track and interdict the vessel in U.S. waters is because we had the right to take them out. They were here to poison our children. They were literally coming onshore to poison our children to death.” [SiriusXM, The Megyn Kelly Show, 9/3/25]
    • Fox host Jesse Watters dismissed criticism of the first strike as “a new hoax: the cocaine canoe war crime.” Watters continued: “Chris Van Hollen, he’s running point on this one. He thinks Trump just killed a bunch of Venezuelan dads in Bulls hats.” [Fox News, Jesse Watters Primetime, 9/4/25]
    • Fox host Kayleigh McEnany criticized Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), who called the boat strikes “illegal on many counts”: “I want to bring up another count. It’s one we just showed in the intro; it’s the 400,000 Americans who have died of fentanyl. Four hundred thousand daughters, sons, brothers, sisters, not here because an attack — I’m going to call it an attack — on the United States.” [Fox News, Outnumbered, 9/5/25]
    • Fox host Rachel Campos-Duffy announced Trump “smoked another coke boat in the eastern Pacific this morning.” Campos-Duffy went on to dismiss concerns about the strike from Mexico, claiming Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum’s party is “in bed with the cartels.” [Fox News, Jesse Watters Primetime, 11/10/25]
    • Fox host Sean Hannity: “I have a hard time understanding those that somehow think that there's any other way to stop them except to do exactly what we're showing on screen right now.” As Hannity spoke, a video montage played on screen of the boats being destroyed and left in flames. [Fox News, Hannity, 11/12/25]
    • Newsmax's Greg Kelly said U.S. strikes were “totally legal” and “pure,” arguing, “I think this is what you have a military for.” Kelly argued the strikes were “an awesome thing to do with the military. It is so pure — pure protection for the American people whose lives will be saved.”[Newsmax, Greg Kelly Reports, 11/12/25]
    • Podcaster Dave Rubin celebrated that “we’re just blowing up the boats” instead of focusing on “paperwork,” calling it “an obvious win.” He said, “We don't sit around in a committee meeting going, oh my God, but do we have enough paperwork to make sure that the guys with the fentanyl who are coming over? No, we're just blowing up the boats.” [Rumble, The Rubin Report, 11/13/25]
    • Streamer Zack Hoyt, known online as Asmongold, commented that 20 strikes on alleged drug boats was “not enough.” As video of the strikes played on screen, he commented, “Got them.” [The Atlantic, 4/25/25; YouTube, Asmongold TV, 11/18/25]
    • Trump ally Roger Stone: “What Democrats are essentially saying is that Bush Obama and Biden can bomb or drone strike millions and it's not illegal but Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth cannot bomb drug traffickers in this hemisphere to protect the United States.” [Twitter/X, 11/30/25]
    • Former Fox Nation host Lara Logan: “If you don’t want to get bombed, don’t ship drugs in your fishing boat.” [Twitter/X, 11/30/25; Media Matters, 10/21/22]
    • Former Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani stated that he is “100% in favor” of “blowing their boats out of the water.” [YouTube, America’s Mayor Live, 11/12/25]

  • Some figures defended the administration after The Washington Post reported on the September follow-up strike

    • On Fox & Friends, co-host Brian Kilmeade claimed the strikes were “probably precise” and that the follow-up strike “finished the job perhaps.” He added, “All I know is if you have a mission, to go out there and then get a boat in the area to rescue someone seems to be impossible especially if it's an unmanned drone who is doing the shooting.” [Fox News, Fox & Friends, 12/2/25]
    • Fox & Friends co-host Lawrence Jones declared, “I really don’t care if they finished the job on them.” Jones argued that the targets of the strike “killed millions of American children with these drugs coming across the border.” [Fox News, Fox & Friends, 12/2/25]
    • Zack Hoyt praised the administration, saying, “I will vote for the government that will mercilessly kill drug dealers trying to take drugs into our country.” Complaining about pushback against the strikes, Hoyt added, “Then they’re like, ‘oh, well, this is a war crime, it’s against like the Geneva Convention,’ and all this bullshit. … International laws aren’t real.” [YouTube, AsmongoldTV, 11/29/25]
    • Fox host Johnny “Joey” Jones suggested the follow-up strike may have been justified because “whether you have a gun in your hand or not, if it’s a radio, that’s just as deadly.” Jones added, “Spare me the tears over terrorists when you don’t cry over Americans who die from them.” [Fox News, The Big Weekend Show, 11/29/25]
    • Right-wing influencer Ian Miles Cheong on the follow-up strike: “That's what you get for trafficking drugs.” [Twitter/X, 11/29/25]
    • Right-wing podcaster Megyn Kelly dismissed legal concerns and said she wants to see those killed “suffer,” calling on Trump and Hegseth to “make it last a long time, so that they lose a limb and bleed out a little.” “I’d really like to see them suffer,” she explained, adding, “I realize legally it may make a difference, but truly, Mark, this is a tough case to really gin up the sympathies of the American people.” [SiriusXM, The Megyn Kelly Show, 12/1/25]
    • Fox News contributor Tom Shillue: “I don't see the big fuss about taking two shots instead of one. I mean, we’re murdering them from the sky, and you want to do it in one bomb but you can't do it in two? Seems a little silly to me.” [Fox News, The Big Weekend Show, 11/30/25]
    • Fox host Jesse Watters: “We're blowing up terrorists in the Caribbean, but we're supposed to rescue them from drowning if they survive?” [Fox News, Jesse Watters Primetime, 12/1/25]
    • Watters later questioned: “If it takes two airstrikes to take out a coke boat and the passengers, is that a war crime?” Guest and former U.S. Army Special Forces veteran Jim Hanson defended Trump: “He can do pretty much whatever he wants in pursuit of our national security.” [Fox News, Jesse Watters Primetime, 12/1/25]
    • The Daily Wire’s Matt Walsh dismissed the second strike: “I personally don't really care if they hit the boat a second time. … The idea was to kill them. The idea was not simply to stop the boat.” Walsh continued: “If you're going to actually go to war against the drug traffickers, then this is what it means. It means going out and killing these guys. And if we're at war with drug traffickers, I think it'd be perfectly valid to snipe them while they're eating breakfast. … As long as you aren’t targeting women and children, of course, and as long as you're killing narcoterrorists and not innocent civilians, then to me, it's fair game. There are no innocent civilians on the drug boat in the middle of the night. Right? There's no innocent civilians there.” [The Daily Wire, The Matt Walsh Show, 12/2/25]
    • Sean Hannity cheered on the boat strikes: “Joe Biden treated it with kid gloves, and cartels, you know, they approach it with take over the community, 20 million people, hundreds of thousands of Americans poisoned, and President Trump says no, we're taking the gloves off.” Hannity dismissed criticisms of the attacks, saying, “They’re trying to claim war crimes here for taking out terrorists that are killing Americans.” [Premiere Radio Networks, The Sean Hannity Show, 12/2/25]
    • On The Will Cain Show, guest and former Navy JAG officer Don Brown said: “Those boats have weapons of mass destruction that will take out Americans; if the boat is still in the water with those drugs on it, whether some terrorist is hanging on or not, you blow it the hell out of the water because it’s going to kill Americans.” [Fox News, The Will Cain Show, 12/2/25]
    • The Five co-host Greg Gutfeld: “Maybe it's going to take two strikes. In bowling, they call it a spare.” He continued, “It's just better for us to kill them in the ocean, make them shark feed, be done with it.” [Fox News, The Five, 12/2/25]
    • Watters: “If the coke boat hasn't sank after the first strike, do we wait for the narcoterrorists to call for back-up and load the cocaine onto another boat and get away? Or do we just knock the boat down to the bottom of the ocean like we just did?” [Fox News, Jesse Watters Primetime, 12/2/25]
    • Tim Pool: “The idea of war crimes is the stupidest thing I have ever heard of. … This is liberal economic order post-World War II garbage.” Pool continued: “I'm not saying Hegseth should be ordering this. I'm saying it is silly that in the event he said take them out, they were like oh, no, because they're clinging to the boats. They're still enemy combatants in a combat situation.” [Rumble, Timcast IRL, 12/2/25] 
    • A social media account for The Clay Travis & Buck Sexton Show posted: “They can say, this wasn't a second strike to kill survivors, the boat was still operable and we were concerned that we hadn't fulfilled the original mission.” [Twitter/X, 12/2/25]

  • Some figures in right-wing media pointed to broader concerns

    • Fox News contributor Jonathan Turley explained the legal context: “What is clear is that you cannot issue a strike on survivors of a wreck just to kill the survivors. That is against the laws of war. It’s against federal law. ... The question that is not clear is what happened here. ... The question is was this to kill the survivors or truly to destroy the rest of that ship." [Fox News, America Reports, 12/1/25]
    • Andrew Napolitano said the entire chain of command involved in the double-tap boat strike “should be prosecuted for a war crime.” Napolitano: “It gives me no pleasure to say what I'm about to say because I worked with Pete Hegseth for seven or eight years at Fox News. This is an act of a war crime, ordering survivors — who the law requires be rescued — instead to be murdered. There's absolutely no legal basis for it. Everybody along the line who did it, from the secretary of defense to the admiral to the people who actually pulled the trigger, should be prosecuted for a war crime for killing these two people.” [Newsmax, National Report, 12/2/25]
    • On Special Report with Bret Baier, Fox News contributor Mary Katharine Ham said: “I'm glad that Congress seems energetic about checking on this. These are serious allegations. This is life-and-death stuff. I do think there are legal questions here that need to be addressed seriously instead of by meme on X.” [Fox News, Special Report with Bret Baier, 12/2/25]
    • Fox News contributor Lisa Kennedy Montgomery said striking suspected drug boats has “disturbed my moral compass.” She continued, “The war on drugs has failed. And this, unfortunately, is going to fail as well. It also has the potential to upend the president's administration and his movement because the cartels, mark my words … they are going to start putting children and American citizens on those boats.” [Fox News, The Five, 12/3/25]
    • National Review Institute senior fellow Andrew C. McCarthy wrote, “International waters are not the Wild West. This is not a gray area.” The “regular practice” for dealing with narcotics smugglers, he said, is to “interdict suspected drug-trafficking vessels, search them, seize contraband, arrest and extradite traffickers, try them in federal court, and imprison them in federal penitentiaries.” [National Review, 12/3/25] 
    • National Review’s Charles W. Cooke wrote: “I have held steadfastly to the conviction that the federal government possesses no freestanding authority to launch rockets at vessels that it suspects might be engaged in the movement of narcotics.” [National Review, 12/3/25]