The Republican president said in a social media post Tuesday that the attack killed six people on board and did not harm U.S. troops.
This is the fifth fatality in the Caribbean region, with the Trump administration claiming it is treating suspected drug traffickers as illegal combatants who must be fought with military force.
There is growing dissatisfaction with the administration on Capitol Hill among members of both major political parties. Some Republican lawmakers are seeking more information from the White House about the legal legitimacy and details of the attack. Democrats say the attack violates U.S. and international law.
President Trump said Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the airstrike on Tuesday morning and, as in previous years, released video of the strike.
President Trump said the attack took place in international waters and that “intelligence officials” confirmed the ship was involved in drug trafficking, was involved in a “narco-terrorism network” and was on a known drug trafficking route.
Last week, the Senate voted on a war powers resolution that would have barred the Trump administration from conducting airstrikes unless specifically authorized by Congress, but it did not pass.
RHM/