Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday classifying fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction as part of his ongoing campaign against drug trafficking.

“Today I am taking step to protect Americans from the another deadly scourge of fentanyl that is flooding our country. With this historic executive order that I will sign today, we will formally classify fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction, which is what it truly is," he declared at an event held at the White House. The order directs the Secretary of State and the Secretary of the Treasury to take appropriate action against the assets and financial institutions relevant to those involved in or supporting the manufacture, distribution, and sale of illicit fentanyl and its principal chemical precursors. If this were a war, it would be one of the worst wars. I believe that in the last five or six years, between 200,000 and 300,000 people have died annually from fentanyl. “They talk about 100,000, which is a lot of people, but the number is much higher,” the US president explained. According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 250,000 people died between 2021 and 2023 alone from overdoses related to synthetic opioids, primarily fentanyl. Trump announced the signing of the order at an event held to award military personnel for their work defending the border with Mexico. The president stated that there is no doubt that America's adversaries are trafficking fentanyl in part because they want to kill Americans. The Republican emphasized that during his term, according to him, a 50% reduction in the amount of fentanyl crossing the border has been achieved, and he asserted that China is collaborating closely with the United States to reduce the number and quantity of fentanyl being shipped. However, he stressed that the order empowers the Secretary of Homeland Security to identify networks smuggling fentanyl, using intelligence on threats related to weapons of mass destruction and non-proliferation. "We have managed to reduce the number to a much lower figure. It is not satisfactory, but it will soon be," he added.The text of the order states that illicit fentanyl is more akin to a chemical weapon than a narcotic and that its production and sale by foreign terrorist organizations and cartels finances these entities' operations, which include assassinations, terrorist acts, and insurgencies worldwide, and allows them to undermine our national security and the well-being of our nation. Therefore, the document states that the possibility of fentanyl being used as a weapon for concentrated and large-scale terrorist attacks by organized adversaries is a serious threat to the United States. The classification could lead to more severe criminal charges for those involved in fentanyl trafficking, although Trump did not specify any immediate legal changes.

“I absolutely support President Trump's strategy on Venezuela”: Maria Corina Machado

From Norway, where she just received the Nobel Peace Prize, Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado asserted that the days of Nicolas Maduro's regime are numbered and that she absolutely supports President Trump's strategy in Venezuela amid his administration's growing pressure campaign against the regime of President Nicolas Maduro.

In an extensive interview with Margaret Brennon on CBS's Face the Nation, Machado said, “We, the Venezuelan people, are very grateful to him and his administration because I believe he is a defender of freedom in this hemisphere.” The United States has increased pressure on Maduro with new sanctions, asset seizures, operations against vessels linked to drug trafficking, and a greater military presence in the region. For Machado, these actions respond to a demand that the Venezuelan opposition has been making for years. Facing a transition scenario, the opposition leader asserted that the main ally of a democratic Venezuela will be the United States and anticipates a massive return of migrants. "The day Maduro leaves, we will see hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans returning home," she concluded. The Nobel laureate spoke for the first time since her clandestine departure from Venezuela, an operation she described as extremely dangerous, but whose details she avoided revealing so as not to endanger those who helped her. The opposition leader confirmed that she received international support, although she insisted that what is truly relevant is not her escape, but the message that the Nobel Prize represents for Venezuelans. "This prize is not mine, it belongs to the Venezuelan people who have fought tirelessly against a criminal and narco-terrorist structure." Machado stated that her intention is to return to the country when she is more useful to the cause, even while acknowledging the personal risks and the impact that this decision has on her family, whom she keeps outside of Venezuela for their safety.and allows them to undermine our national security and the well-being of our nation. Therefore, the document states that the possibility of fentanyl being used as a weapon for concentrated and large-scale terrorist attacks by organized adversaries is a serious threat to the United States. The classification could lead to more severe criminal charges for those involved in fentanyl trafficking, although Trump did not specify any immediate legal changes.

“I absolutely support President Trump's strategy on Venezuela”: Maria Corina Machado

From Norway, where she just received the Nobel Peace Prize, Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado asserted that the days of Nicolas Maduro's regime are numbered and that she absolutely supports President Trump's strategy in Venezuela amid his administration's growing pressure campaign against the regime of President Nicolas Maduro.

In an extensive interview with Margaret Brennon on CBS's Face the Nation, Machado said, “We, the Venezuelan people, are very grateful to him and his administration because I believe he is a defender of freedom in this hemisphere.” The United States has increased pressure on Maduro with new sanctions, asset seizures, operations against vessels linked to drug trafficking, and a greater military presence in the region. For Machado, these actions respond to a demand that the Venezuelan opposition has been making for years. Facing a transition scenario, the opposition leader asserted that the main ally of a democratic Venezuela will be the United States and anticipates a massive return of migrants. "The day Maduro leaves, we will see hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans returning home," she concluded. The Nobel laureate spoke for the first time since her clandestine departure from Venezuela, an operation she described as extremely dangerous, but whose details she avoided revealing so as not to endanger those who helped her. The opposition leader confirmed that she received international support, although she insisted that what is truly relevant is not her escape, but the message that the Nobel Prize represents for Venezuelans. "This prize is not mine, it belongs to the Venezuelan people who have fought tirelessly against a criminal and narco-terrorist structure." Machado stated that her intention is to return to the country when she is more useful to the cause, even while acknowledging the personal risks and the impact that this decision has on her family, whom she keeps outside of Venezuela for their safety.and allows them to undermine our national security and the well-being of our nation. Therefore, the document states that the possibility of fentanyl being used as a weapon for concentrated and large-scale terrorist attacks by organized adversaries is a serious threat to the United States. The classification could lead to more severe criminal charges for those involved in fentanyl trafficking, although Trump did not specify any immediate legal changes.

“I absolutely support President Trump's strategy on Venezuela”: Maria Corina Machado

From Norway, where she just received the Nobel Peace Prize, Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado asserted that the days of Nicolas Maduro's regime are numbered and that she absolutely supports President Trump's strategy in Venezuela amid his administration's growing pressure campaign against the regime of President Nicolas Maduro.

In an extensive interview with Margaret Brennon on CBS's Face the Nation, Machado said, “We, the Venezuelan people, are very grateful to him and his administration because I believe he is a defender of freedom in this hemisphere.” The United States has increased pressure on Maduro with new sanctions, asset seizures, operations against vessels linked to drug trafficking, and a greater military presence in the region. For Machado, these actions respond to a demand that the Venezuelan opposition has been making for years. Facing a transition scenario, the opposition leader asserted that the main ally of a democratic Venezuela will be the United States and anticipates a massive return of migrants. "The day Maduro leaves, we will see hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans returning home," she concluded. The Nobel laureate spoke for the first time since her clandestine departure from Venezuela, an operation she described as extremely dangerous, but whose details she avoided revealing so as not to endanger those who helped her. The opposition leader confirmed that she received international support, although she insisted that what is truly relevant is not her escape, but the message that the Nobel Prize represents for Venezuelans. "This prize is not mine, it belongs to the Venezuelan people who have fought tirelessly against a criminal and narco-terrorist structure." Machado stated that her intention is to return to the country when she is more useful to the cause, even while acknowledging the personal risks and the impact that this decision has on her family, whom she keeps outside of Venezuela for their safety.The classification could lead to more severe criminal charges for those involved in fentanyl trafficking, although Trump did not specify any immediate legal changes.

“I absolutely support President Trump's strategy on Venezuela”: Maria Corina Machado

From Norway, where she just received the Nobel Peace Prize, Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado asserted that the days of Nicolas Maduro's regime are numbered and that she absolutely supports President Trump's strategy in Venezuela amid his administration's growing pressure campaign against the regime of President Nicolas Maduro.

In an extensive interview with Margaret Brennon on CBS's Face the Nation, Machado said, “We, the Venezuelan people, are very grateful to him and his administration because I believe he is a defender of freedom in this hemisphere.” The United States has increased pressure on Maduro with new sanctions, asset seizures, operations against vessels linked to drug trafficking, and a greater military presence in the region. For Machado, these actions respond to a demand that the Venezuelan opposition has been making for years. Facing a transition scenario, the opposition leader asserted that the main ally of a democratic Venezuela will be the United States and anticipates a massive return of migrants. "The day Maduro leaves, we will see hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans returning home," she concluded. The Nobel laureate spoke for the first time since her clandestine departure from Venezuela, an operation she described as extremely dangerous, but whose details she avoided revealing so as not to endanger those who helped her. The opposition leader confirmed that she received international support, although she insisted that what is truly relevant is not her escape, but the message that the Nobel Prize represents for Venezuelans. "This prize is not mine, it belongs to the Venezuelan people who have fought tirelessly against a criminal and narco-terrorist structure." Machado stated that her intention is to return to the country when she is more useful to the cause, even while acknowledging the personal risks and the impact that this decision has on her family, whom she keeps outside of Venezuela for their safety.The classification could lead to more severe criminal charges for those involved in fentanyl trafficking, although Trump did not specify any immediate legal changes.

“I absolutely support President Trump's strategy on Venezuela”: Maria Corina Machado

From Norway, where she just received the Nobel Peace Prize, Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado asserted that the days of Nicolas Maduro's regime are numbered and that she absolutely supports President Trump's strategy in Venezuela amid his administration's growing pressure campaign against the regime of President Nicolas Maduro.

In an extensive interview with Margaret Brennon on CBS's Face the Nation, Machado said, “We, the Venezuelan people, are very grateful to him and his administration because I believe he is a defender of freedom in this hemisphere.” The United States has increased pressure on Maduro with new sanctions, asset seizures, operations against vessels linked to drug trafficking, and a greater military presence in the region. For Machado, these actions respond to a demand that the Venezuelan opposition has been making for years. Facing a transition scenario, the opposition leader asserted that the main ally of a democratic Venezuela will be the United States and anticipates a massive return of migrants. "The day Maduro leaves, we will see hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans returning home," she concluded. The Nobel laureate spoke for the first time since her clandestine departure from Venezuela, an operation she described as extremely dangerous, but whose details she avoided revealing so as not to endanger those who helped her. The opposition leader confirmed that she received international support, although she insisted that what is truly relevant is not her escape, but the message that the Nobel Prize represents for Venezuelans. "This prize is not mine, it belongs to the Venezuelan people who have fought tirelessly against a criminal and narco-terrorist structure." Machado stated that her intention is to return to the country when she is more useful to the cause, even while acknowledging the personal risks and the impact that this decision has on her family, whom she keeps outside of Venezuela for their safety.“They are very grateful to him and his administration because I believe he is a defender of freedom in this hemisphere.” The United States has increased pressure on Maduro with new sanctions, asset seizures, operations against vessels linked to drug trafficking, and a greater military presence in the region. For Machado, these actions respond to a demand that the Venezuelan opposition has been making for years. Facing a transition scenario, the opposition leader asserted that the main ally of a democratic Venezuela will be the United States and anticipates a massive return of migrants. "The day Maduro leaves, we will see hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans returning home," she concluded. The Nobel laureate spoke for the first time since her clandestine departure from Venezuela, an operation she described as extremely dangerous, but whose details she avoided revealing so as not to endanger those who helped her. The opposition leader confirmed that she received international support, although she insisted that what is truly relevant is not her escape, but the message that the Nobel Prize represents for Venezuelans. "This prize is not mine, it belongs to the Venezuelan people who have fought tirelessly against a criminal and narco-terrorist structure." Machado stated that her intention is to return to the country when she is more useful to the cause, even while acknowledging the personal risks and the impact that this decision has on her family, who she keeps outside of Venezuela for their safety.“They are very grateful to him and his administration because I believe he is a defender of freedom in this hemisphere.” The United States has increased pressure on Maduro with new sanctions, asset seizures, operations against vessels linked to drug trafficking, and a greater military presence in the region. For Machado, these actions respond to a demand that the Venezuelan opposition has been making for years. Facing a transition scenario, the opposition leader asserted that the main ally of a democratic Venezuela will be the United States and anticipates a massive return of migrants. "The day Maduro leaves, we will see hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans returning home," she concluded. The Nobel laureate spoke for the first time since her clandestine departure from Venezuela, an operation she described as extremely dangerous, but whose details she avoided revealing so as not to endanger those who helped her. The opposition leader confirmed that she received international support, although she insisted that what is truly relevant is not her escape, but the message that the Nobel Prize represents for Venezuelans. "This prize is not mine, it belongs to the Venezuelan people who have fought tirelessly against a criminal and narco-terrorist structure." Machado stated that her intention is to return to the country when she is more useful to the cause, even while acknowledging the personal risks and the impact that this decision has on her family, who she keeps outside of Venezuela for their safety.even while acknowledging the personal risks and the impact that this decision has on her family, who she keeps outside of Venezuela for their safety.even while acknowledging the personal risks and the impact that this decision has on her family, who she keeps outside of Venezuela for their safety.

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