In the past two weeks, Trump has launched two controversial attacks on boats in international waters, claiming they carried illegal drugs. The first attack killed 11 people, and the second killed three. Venezuela’s interior minister said that none of the 11 people killed in the first attack were members of Tren de Aragua, the gang Trump claimed he was targeting.
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Secretary of State Marco Rubio claimed the attacks as self-defense, arguing that those suspected of smuggling drugs pose “an immediate threat.” But critics and legal scholars argue that suspected drug smuggling cannot legally be equated to an imminent armed attack.
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Speaking to a crowd in Howell, Michigan, on Wednesday, Vice President JD Vance appeared to make light of the attacks with a joke.
“I was talking to Secretary Hegseth, and you know what he said? He said, you know what, Mr. Vice President? We don’t see any of these drug boats coming into our country. They’ve completely stopped,” Vance said.
“And I said, I know why. I would stop, too,” he continued. “Hell, I wouldn’t go fishing right now in that area of the world.”
You can watch the clip here.
Naturally, people had a whole lot of thoughts about the remark:
“Get it? The joke is that we might kill some totally innocent people! Haha that’s funny, right?”
“This really isn’t funny. Countries don’t have the right to shoot down vessels in international waters without legal justification.”
“Didn’t the couch fucker @VP say like two days ago we shouldn’t mock or celebrate the death of anyone?”
“What a double standard from the Trump administration.”
And lastly… “Joking about murder. How do I contact his employer?”
