Lindsey Graham Suggests Drug Boat Strikes Will Be In Vain If Trump Allows Socialist Dictator To Stay
The Trump administration’s strikes on suspected Venezuelan drug ships will be a failure if they do not ultimately lead to the overthrow of socialist dictator Nicolás Maduro, South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham suggested to reporters Tuesday.
President Donald Trump has kept his goals in Venezuela unclear for months as the administration rapidly builds up forces in the Caribbean. Graham is urging the Trump administration to clarify its agenda regarding Venezuela, which he says must result in regime change. (RELATED: US Seizes Oil Tanker Off Venezuela Coast, President Trump Confirms)
“We have 15 percent of the Navy pointing the finger at this guy. If he’s still standing when this is over, it’s a fatal and major mistake for our position in the world,” Graham said Tuesday following a closed-door security briefing with Department of War (DOW) Secretary Pete Hegseth and senior cabinet officials regarding the drug boat strikes.
“All indications are that President Trump is indicating that the goal of this operation is to bring down the Maduro regime and replace it with something less threatening to the United States,” Graham continued.
Graham’s comments come as Trump on Monday designated fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction, in what some observers see as an escalation of the administration’s pressure campaign against Maduro. The army also continued its strike campaign against drug smuggling boats, which has killed at least 95 suspected drug traffickers since it began in September.
Graham said he asked senior Trump administration officials about their goals regarding Venezuela during the Senate-wide briefing.
“They say it’s a counter-drug. It would be nice if it [Maduro] LEFT. That’s not a good answer,” Graham told reporters. “You can’t allow this man to stand after this show of force, and I didn’t get a very good answer as to what happens next.”
Trump called Maduro an illegitimate leader whose “days are numbered.” He refused to rule out a ground invasion of the country or regime change.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro speaks to supporters during a rally marking the anniversary of the Battle of Santa Ines, in Caracas on December 10, 2025. (Photo by Federico PARRA/AFP via Getty Images)
“On the campaign trail, President Trump promised to take on the cartels – and he took unprecedented steps to end the scourge of narcoterrorism that has led to the needless deaths of innocent Americans,” White House Press Secretary Anna Kelly told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “All of these decisive strikes have been directed against designated narcoterrorists who are bringing deadly poison to our shores, and the President will continue to use every element of American power to stop drugs from flooding our country.”
Graham also defended the administration’s drug boat strike campaign, calling it “legal.” He said he would have no problem with the Pentagon releasing footage of a controversial strike that killed two survivors of an earlier attack, something Democrats have demanded.
LINDSEY GRAHAM: “There is no doubt in my mind that we have the legal authority to blow up these boats. »
🎥: @cadenolson_ pic.twitter.com/H7sx5xiCCC
– Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) December 16, 2025
“I don’t think most Americans care about the video,” the South Carolina Republican said. “I wish we all saw it.”
“Most Americans want to know what happens next,” Graham continued. “Is politics about bringing down Maduro? It should be.”
Hegseth told reporters Tuesday he would not release the full, unedited video, citing DOW policy.
Oklahoma Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin disputed that the end goal of the drug boat strikes is regime change.
“This is about stopping the drugs that are poisoning our streets,” Mullin told reporters.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters that the counter-drug mission is focused on dismantling the infrastructure of drug cartels that are “poisoning” and “killing” Americans. The administration has not provided the American public with proof that the so-called drug vessels are trafficking drugs.
“We are proud of what we do,” Hegseth added.
Caden Olson contributed to this report.
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