President Trump ordered a lethal military strike yesterday on a ship he alleges was “transporting illegal narcotics, heading to the United States.” In a post on Truth Social (reposted on X), he elaborated that the strike resulted in “11 terrorists killed in action.” He added that the eleven had been “positively identified Tren de Aragua Narcoterrorists” and that TdA has been designated by the U.S. government as a foreign terrorist organization (see here) and is “operating under the control of Nicolas Maduro.”
In essence, the president is taking the position that a vessel operated by a designated foreign terrorist organization, which is allegedly an arm of a hostile foreign regime and which is carrying illegal drugs for distribution in the United States, is functionally the same as a hostile foreign naval force that is in the act of conducting an armed attack against the United States. That is to say: The president claims inherent constitutional authority (under Article II) to use lethal force to stop — to destroy — the hostile foreign force, with no need for a congressional authorization of military force.
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