Trump Defends Military Strike on Alleged Drug-Subsea Vessel: 'Submarines Don't Go Fishing'

President Donald Trump on Tuesday defended the U.S. military's ongoing campaign targeting alleged drug-trafficking vessels in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean, dismissing criticism that recent strikes have struck innocent civilians.

Speaking during an address to U.S. troops aboard the USS George Washington at Yokosuka Naval Base in Japan, Trump criticized the "radical left" which, according to him, had people claiming that missile strikes had killed fishermen and not suspected drug smugglers.

"You've been watching what our missiles do to boats and ships and submarines. The radical left Democrats said 'well, it was a submarine, but they were just fishing'. Submarines don't go fishing, do they? You know more about submarines than I do?"

Trump was referring to one of the most recent attacks carried out by his administration against alleged drug vessels, specifically one executed on October 16. It was the first time survivors have been reported since the US began its bombing campaign in the Caribbean on September 2.

During an Oval Office meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy the following day, Trump said of the incident:

"We attacked a submarine, and that was a drug-carrying submarine built specifically for the transportation of massive amounts of drugs. This was not an innocent group of people.  I don't know too many people that have submarines"

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Tuesday that U.S. forces carried out three new "kinetic strikes" on four vessels in the Eastern Pacific on Monday "at the direction of President Trump." He said 14 people were killed, pushing the total of victims to at least 57 people, according to U.S. defense officials.

Hegseth stated that U.S. Southern Command initiated search-and-rescue protocols and that Mexican authorities assumed responsibility for coordinating the rescue. "These narco-terrorists have killed more Americans than Al-Qaeda, and they will be treated the same," he wrote. "We will track them, we will network them, and then, we will hunt and kill them."

During his speech in Yokosuka, Trump also praised servicemembers, criticized the Biden administration, and said the U.S. seeks to avoid broader foreign conflicts. He said Japan would soon receive missiles for F-35 aircraft and referenced a planned $10 billion investment in U.S. auto plants.