Spin Cycle: The War On Trump’s War On Drugs

Democrats and media talking heads have voiced their opposition, on multiple occasions, to President Donald Trump’s efforts to prevent narco-terrorists — by whatever means necessary — from continuing to flood the United States with fentanyl and other drugs.

For those who don’t spend their Sunday mornings glued to the television — and their Sunday afternoons attempting to dig through a week’s worth of network and cable news media spin — The Daily Wire has compiled a short summary of what you may have missed.

The federal government has been shut down for nearly one full month — and although Democrats have done their best to reassure the public that the blame for that lies with Republicans, the fact remains that Democrats are the ones refusing to accept a clean continuing resolution that would reopen the government or even vote on a measure that would make sure military service members continue to receive pay.

And while some of the conversation on the Sunday morning talk shows was focused on the shutdown and how to bring it to an end, a lot was also focused on Trump’s efforts to take out drug runners before they were able to reach the United States.

On ABC’s “Meet the Press,” Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ) said that recent strikes on boats that reportedly contained drugs and were headed toward the United States were, at best, “questionable.”

“The White House and the Department of Defense could not give us a logical explanation on how this is legal,” he said.

Sen. Mark Kelly tells @MarthaRaddatz that the U.S. military’s recent strike on an alleged Venezuelan drug boat is “questionable.”

“The White House and the Department of Defense could not give us a logical explanation on how this is legal.” https://t.co/c5ou1EVNTV pic.twitter.com/EVP53aCZfd

— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) October 26, 2025

Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) supported President Trump’s actions, telling host Margaret Brennan on CBS News’ “Face the Nation” that he believed Trump was acting well within his authority to strike the boats carrying drugs and traffickers.

He went on to tell Brennan that he saw it as “a real possibility” that Trump would also authorize strikes on land in Venezuela in order to stop the flow of drugs into the United States. Graham said that he expected the president to brief Congress about his next moves, adding, “I support that idea. But I think he has all the authority he needs.”

U.S. land strikes on Venezuela are “a real possibility,” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) says, telling @margbrennan President Trump plans to brief Congress about potentially expanding the U.S. military operations “from the sea to the land.”

“I support that idea. But I think he has… pic.twitter.com/q7iBG7D0H7

— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) October 26, 2025

Graham also responded to criticisms of Trump from within the Republican Party — namely from Senators Rand Paul (R-KY) and James Lankford (R-OK) — telling Brennan, “Rand Paul, I just fundamentally disagree with. To the other senators, you deserve more information and you’re going to get more information. But there is no requirement for Congress to declare war before the commander-in-chief can use force.”

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) is pushing back against criticism by Democrats and some Republicans, including Sens. Rand Paul and James Lankford, that the Trump administration is not providing enough information to Congress about its strikes on alleged drug boats off the coast of… pic.twitter.com/KjrqzPW36x

— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) October 26, 2025

“It’s time for Maduro to go. I hope Maduro would leave peacefully, but I don’t think he’s going to stay around much longer,” Graham added. “The game is changing when it comes to drug traffickers and drug cartels. We’re going to use military force like we have in the past to protect our country … And if I were Maduro, I’d find a way to leave before heat goes down.”

On the U.S. potentially expanding its operations to on the ground inside Venezuela and whether that would include U.S. troops, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) says “It’s time for Maduro to go. I hope Maduro would leave peacefully, but I don’t think he’s going to stay around much… pic.twitter.com/42tYbYWOrE

— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) October 26, 2025

On NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Senator Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) referred to the targeted strikes as “sanctioned murder.” He told host Kristen Welker, “This is murder. It’s sanctioned murder that he is doing.”

Sen. Ruben Gallego on the strikes on drug boats: “This is murder. It’s sanctioned murder that he is doing.” pic.twitter.com/n4i9WWj9RA

— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) October 26, 2025

Gallego claimed that a declaration of war would be necessary if Trump planned to continue to target such boats.

Trump is blasting Venezuelan ships out of the water to make himself feel tough.

Either send the Coast Guard onto these ships or come to Congress for a declaration of war. Plain and simple. pic.twitter.com/7zZ5td7RLz

— Senator Ruben Gallego (@SenRubenGallego) October 26, 2025

Meanwhile, as Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Welker on “Meet the Press,” Democrats’ refusal to put an end to the shutdown are starting to cause real problems: “Chuck Schumer is trading off his polls. What’s different than when he passed a clean CR in the spring? It’s his polls … We’re starting to eat into muscle here … I don’t know what the purpose is. I’m not sure they do.”

“Chuck Schumer is trading off his polls. What’s different than when he passed a clean CR in the spring? It’s his polls,” says @SecScottBessent on the Democrat Shutdown.

“We’re starting to eat into muscle here… I don’t know what the purpose is. I’m not sure they do.” pic.twitter.com/Bt0ej6d8yF

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) October 26, 2025