Last week saw the Trump administration launch a military strike which destroyed a Venezuelan drug boat, killing 11 alleged Tren de Aragua (TdA) narco-terrorists dead.

While the move was denounced by Democrats, Vice President J.D. Vance didn't hesitate to go nuclear on its critics. 

Vice president calls strike the "best use of our military"

According to the Daily Caller, Vance's remarks began on Saturday with a social media post that read, "Killing cartel members who poison our fellow citizens is the highest and best use of our military."

Killing cartel members who poison our fellow citizens is the highest and best use of our military.

— JD Vance (@JDVance) September 6, 2025

That statement did not go unnoticed by left-wing writer and political commentator Brian Krassenstein, who declared in a post of his own that "[k]illing the citizens of another nation who are civilians without any due process is called a war crime."

However, Vance made clear that he was uninterested in engaging with Krassenstein's argument and simply asserted, "I don’t give a s--t what you call it."

Vance: Trump promised to stop "poison from coming into our country"

The Daily Caller noted that the vice president offered a more thorough response when questioned by reporters about the strike's legal legitimacy during a visit to Minneapolis this past Wednesday.

"The legal authority, there are people who are bringing terrorists, who are bringing deadly drugs into our country," Vance replied.

"The president of the United States ran on a promise of stopping this poison from coming into our country," he continued before adding, "Another question?"

Meanwhile, Fox News observed how for his part, Secretary of State Marco Rubio suggested that last Tuesday's military operation would not be the last of its kind.

Rubio: Drug smugglers "pose an immediate threat to the United States"

"The president of the United States has determined that narco-terrorist organizations pose a threat to the national security of the United States. I don't need to explain to you why," Rubio told reporters.

"These are not stockbrokers," the secretary of state made a point of stressing. "These are not real estate agents who, on the side, deal a few drugs."

"These are organized, corporate, structured organizations who specialize in the trafficking of deadly drugs into the United States of America. They pose an immediate threat to the United States. Period," Rubio affirmed.

The secretary of state went on to maintain that "[w]hat will stop them is when you blow them up, when you get rid of them."