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Trump says Hegseth told him he didn't order killing of boat crew [View all]
Trump says Hegseth told him he didn’t order killing of boat crew
The president also said he would not have wanted a second strike on a boat allegedly carrying drugs, which occurred after U.S. forces realized the initial attack left two survivors, as The Post reported.
November 30, 2025 at 8:33 p.m. EST Yesterday at 8:33 p.m. EST
5 min
President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in the Oval Office in August. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
By Mariana Alfaro, Alex Horton and Noah Robertson
President Donald Trump said Sunday that he has “great confidence” that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth did not give a spoken order to kill all crew members aboard a vessel suspected of smuggling drugs in the Caribbean Sea in September. ... Trump said Hegseth told him “he did not say that, and I believe him, 100 percent.”
During an attack on a boat on Sept. 2 — the opening salvo in the Trump administration’s war on suspected drug traffickers in the Western Hemisphere — a live drone feed showed two survivors from an original crew of 11 clinging to the wreckage of their boat after an initial missile attack, The Washington Post reported Friday afternoon.
To comply with a spoken order from Hegseth to kill everyone, the Special Operations commander overseeing the mission ordered a second strike that killed the two survivors, according to two people with direct knowledge of the operation. Those people, along with five others in the original report, spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the matter’s sensitivity.
Trump said he would look into the issue. “I wouldn’t have wanted that. Not a second strike. The first strike was very lethal. It was fine,” the president told reporters.
{snip}
Ellen Nakashima, Aaron Schaffer and Victoria Bisset contributed to this report.
By Mariana Alfaro
https://www.washingtonpost.com/people/mariana-alfaro/
Mariana Alfaro is a reporter for The Washington Post's breaking political news team. She joined The Post in 2019. She can be reached via Signal at mariana_alfaro.10.follow on X@marianaa_alfaro
By Alex Horton
https://www.washingtonpost.com/people/alex-horton/
Alex Horton is a national security reporter for The Washington Post focused on the U.S. military. He served in Iraq as an Army infantryman. Send him secure tips on Signal at alexhorton.85follow on X@AlexHortonTX
By Noah Robertson
https://www.washingtonpost.com/people/noah-robertson/
Noah Robertson joined the Washington Post in 2025, where he covers the core national security committees in Congress. He previously covered the Pentagon and American politics from gun control to policing. follow on X@noahjrobertson
The president also said he would not have wanted a second strike on a boat allegedly carrying drugs, which occurred after U.S. forces realized the initial attack left two survivors, as The Post reported.
November 30, 2025 at 8:33 p.m. EST Yesterday at 8:33 p.m. EST
5 min
President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in the Oval Office in August. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
By Mariana Alfaro, Alex Horton and Noah Robertson
President Donald Trump said Sunday that he has “great confidence” that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth did not give a spoken order to kill all crew members aboard a vessel suspected of smuggling drugs in the Caribbean Sea in September. ... Trump said Hegseth told him “he did not say that, and I believe him, 100 percent.”
During an attack on a boat on Sept. 2 — the opening salvo in the Trump administration’s war on suspected drug traffickers in the Western Hemisphere — a live drone feed showed two survivors from an original crew of 11 clinging to the wreckage of their boat after an initial missile attack, The Washington Post reported Friday afternoon.
To comply with a spoken order from Hegseth to kill everyone, the Special Operations commander overseeing the mission ordered a second strike that killed the two survivors, according to two people with direct knowledge of the operation. Those people, along with five others in the original report, spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the matter’s sensitivity.
Trump said he would look into the issue. “I wouldn’t have wanted that. Not a second strike. The first strike was very lethal. It was fine,” the president told reporters.
{snip}
Ellen Nakashima, Aaron Schaffer and Victoria Bisset contributed to this report.
By Mariana Alfaro
https://www.washingtonpost.com/people/mariana-alfaro/
Mariana Alfaro is a reporter for The Washington Post's breaking political news team. She joined The Post in 2019. She can be reached via Signal at mariana_alfaro.10.follow on X@marianaa_alfaro
By Alex Horton
https://www.washingtonpost.com/people/alex-horton/
Alex Horton is a national security reporter for The Washington Post focused on the U.S. military. He served in Iraq as an Army infantryman. Send him secure tips on Signal at alexhorton.85follow on X@AlexHortonTX
By Noah Robertson
https://www.washingtonpost.com/people/noah-robertson/
Noah Robertson joined the Washington Post in 2025, where he covers the core national security committees in Congress. He previously covered the Pentagon and American politics from gun control to policing. follow on X@noahjrobertson
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