Laura Ingraham asks if Trump is 'dragging US into war' with Venezuela with maritime drug strikes

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Fox News host Laura Ingraham raised questions about the limits of President Donald Trump’s military strategy during her primetime show earlier this week. 

The discussion aired Monday night amid growing scrutiny over US strikes on vessels linked to Venezuela and the administration’s increasingly aggressive posture in the region.

Laura Ingraham raises concerns over Trump and potential military escalation

Laura Ingraham publicly questioned whether President Donald Trump’s expanding military actions could risk drawing the United States into a wider conflict, even as she defended the administration’s hardline stance against drug trafficking and organized crime.

During Monday’s episode of 'The Ingraham Angle', the Fox News host interviewed Victoria Coates, who served as deputy national security advisor during Trump’s first term. While Ingraham sharply criticized Democrats for opposing recent US strikes, she also acknowledged that attacks beyond maritime targets could mark a dangerous turning point.

“And Victoria, a question, however, about strikes on land is a different matter altogether,” Ingraham said. “It’s obviously an escalation. Is there a risk of Donald Trump dragging the United States into war, with the mission being to get the drugs?”

Trump administration’s boat bombings draw legal and international scrutiny

For several months, the Trump administration has conducted airstrikes on boats operating in the Caribbean and the Pacific, claiming the vessels were being used for drug trafficking. According to reports, at least 100 people have been killed across 26 strikes.

Administration officials insist the operations target narco-trafficking networks, though they have not publicly released evidence linking the vessels to drug smuggling.

Legal experts have raised concerns that the strikes may violate international law, particularly when carried out outside declared conflict zones.

Several of the destroyed boats were reported to have originated from Venezuela. President Trump has repeatedly warned that military action against Venezuelan targets remains on the table.

Last week, he announced what he described as a “complete blockade” of sanctioned Venezuelan oil tankers, at least two of which were seized by US authorities.

Laura Ingraham defends strikes while attacking Democratic opposition

Despite raising concerns about escalation, Ingraham strongly defended the administration’s actions at sea and dismissed Democratic criticism.

“The more I hear the Democrats, they’re either defending violent criminal illegal aliens in the United States and they want to keep them here,” she said. “Or, they’re upset that narco-terrorists are getting blown out of the water.”

Her remarks echoed a broader conservative argument that aggressive enforcement is necessary to combat drug trafficking and national security threats, even as critics argue the strategy risks unintended consequences.

Victoria Coates cites Trump’s war record to push back on concerns

Victoria Coates rejected the suggestion that Trump is prone to military overreach, pointing to his record during both his first term and the early months of his second.

“I will say President Trump, during the first four years of his term and now the first year of his second term, has done a remarkable job of not dragging the United States into wars,” Coates said.

She cited a brief military confrontation with Iran earlier this year as evidence of Trump’s approach.

“He actually has not done it once. He’s executed our shortest war in Iran earlier this year, highly successful. It took about 12 hours. And that was that,” she said. “And he brought an end to the conflict.”

Coates added that fears of a prolonged conflict with Venezuela contradict Trump’s historical approach to foreign policy.

“So, this notion that he is somehow going to be dragged against his will into an extended conflict in Venezuela is defied by his real history and track record in this area,” she said.

White House signals Venezuela campaign goes beyond drug enforcement

Questions about Trump’s intentions intensified following comments from White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles. In an interview with Vanity Fair published Tuesday, Wiles suggested the administration’s actions are not solely focused on drugs.

She said Trump’s campaign against Venezuela also aims to remove President Nicolas Maduro from power, echoing efforts the president pursued during his first term.

The remarks fueled speculation that the administration’s strategy could evolve beyond targeted maritime strikes into a broader geopolitical confrontation.