More than 70% of Americans support the Trump administration’s decision to blow up cartel drug boats, according to a recent Harvard CAPS/Harris poll.
Since President Donald Trump’s return to office in January, he has led a major crackdown on drug cartels, designating certain international groups as Foreign Terrorist Organizations. In a Harvard CAPS/Harris poll released Monday, 71% of voters surveyed said they support sinking South American ships carrying drugs into the U.S.
According to Harvard CAPS/Harris, the survey was conducted online in the U.S. between Oct. 1 and Oct. 2 among 2,413 registered voters. In addition to strong support for blowing up drug cartel boats, 18 of Trump’s 20 policies continue to receive majority approval.
Data from the survey shows 86% support for Trump’s effort to lower prescription drug prices, 78% support for deporting illegal immigrants who have committed crimes, and 75% support for eliminating waste in government spending.
The least popular policies, however, involved adding work requirements to Medicaid programs, which received 42% support; imposing tariffs, which received 49%; and deploying the National Guard in cities, which received 51%.
In early August, the U.S. Coast Guard launched Operation Pacific Viper and had since interdicted a daily average of over 1,600 pounds of cocaine in the Eastern Pacific Ocean, according to a press release. Due to the operation launch, the U.S. Coast Guard has accelerated its “counter-drug operations in the Eastern Pacific Ocean, where significant transport of illicit narcotics continues from South America.”
By September, the Department of War released one of its first videos showing the U.S. striking down a cartel vessel in the southern Caribbean that was transporting drugs. Alongside the video, Trump announced that the U.S. military had sunk the vessel, which belonged to the Venezuelan drug cartel Tren de Aragua. The strike killed 11 cartel members on board.
Following Trump’s announcement, the administration released more videos, including footage showing the U.S. Coast Guard’s Cutter Stone, the ninth Legend-class cutter, conducting three interdictions in a single night as part of Operation Pacific Viper.
Since Trump began pushing back against cartels, Democrats have sided with the members of Tren de Aragua. In an MSNBC interview Thursday, Independent Veterans of America founder Paul Rieckhoff called Trump’s decision “alarming,” “unprecedented” and “dangerous,” accusing him of trying to “overextend and abuse military power.” Democratic New York Rep. Jerry Nadler also demanded Trump “face criminal charges,” saying he acted as “the judge, jury and executioner” in the strike against the terrorist group.
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