If there’s anything Donald Trump has aggressively boasted about during his second term, it’s the controversial claim that he has stopped seven wars. His administration has portrayed him as the Peace President, although critics disagree with this characterization. Amid this bizarre controversy, the self-proclaimed Peace President has waged a secret war that has sent shockwaves across Washington.
Last month, the US military carried out three deadly strikes against alleged drug smuggling boats in the Caribbean. While the massive operation raised concerns about its legality, Donald Trump’s latest move proves that he isn’t backing down.
According to the latest reports, the White House has sent a confidential notice to Congress announcing that the United States is officially in an “armed conflict.”
The New York Times has published details of the memo, which reveals that the current POTUS has “determined” that the drug cartels “non-state armed groups” whose actions “constitute an armed attack against the United States.”
Part of the memo reads, “Based upon the cumulative effects of these hostile acts against the citizens and interests of the United States and friendly foreign nations, the president determined that the United States is in a non-international armed conflict with these designated terrorist organizations.”
This declaration of armed conflict will give 79-year-old Donald Trump more power via a legal framework to take action against forces that he deems “unlawful.”
Under international law, armed conflicts allow nations to kill enemies even if they pose no threat. Enemies can be detained without due process and may also be prosecuted in military courts.
Critics have condemned Donald Trump’s actions. Democrat Jack Reed, a US Army veteran and a ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, wrote on X, “Every American should be alarmed that Pres Trump has decided he can wage secret wars against anyone he labels an enemy.”
“Drug cartels must be stopped, but declaring war & ordering lethal military force without Congress or public knowledge – nor legal justification – is unacceptable,” he added.
Every American should be alarmed that Pres Trump has decided he can wage secret wars against anyone he labels an enemy. Drug cartels must be stopped, but declaring war & ordering lethal military force without Congress or public knowledge – nor legal justification – is… https://t.co/IbYCyqS5Xe
— Senator Jack Reed (@SenJackReed) October 2, 2025
However, Donald Trump’s supporters flocked to Reed’s tweet and explained why Trump’s decision is justified. An X user wrote, “Mr. Reed, the [no.] of Americans that have died at the hands of or from the drugs distributed by these cartels is absolutely unacceptable and Trump’s actions are justified. Just because he is the only President in recent history with the guts to act is no cause for alarm.”
Another wrote, “The drug cartels started by waging war on US citizens. Cartels kill our children & citizens. If you had a family member who tried drugs for the first time, fentanyl would have killed them. I have no problem waging war on the cartels!! The cartels started the war!”
While on one hand, lawmakers pushed the President to approach Congress and seek war powers authority before carrying out legally dubious strikes, the White House’s new memo has stunned them. According to it, Trump has directed his newly rebranded Department of War to conduct operations against non-state organizations deemed to be “terrorist” organizations.
The administration has argued that the ongoing strikes, including last month’s, which claimed 17 lives, are part of an expanded campaign against “narco-terrorists.” The mission is to stop the flow of illegal drugs into the United States.
In a recent meeting with top generals, Donald Trump announced in his speech, “If you try to poison our people, we will blow you out of existence.”
