{"id":16629,"date":"2020-07-10T22:22:21","date_gmt":"2020-07-11T03:22:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.paristn.net\/articles\/?p=16629"},"modified":"2020-07-10T20:03:01","modified_gmt":"2020-07-11T01:03:01","slug":"president-donald-trumps-remarks-on-southcom-enhanced-counternarcotics-operations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.paristn.net\/articles\/2020\/07\/10\/president-donald-trumps-remarks-on-southcom-enhanced-counternarcotics-operations\/","title":{"rendered":"President Donald Trump’s remarks on SOUTHCOM Enhanced Counternarcotics Operations"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"TheWashington, D.C.<\/strong> – PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Thank you very much. I guess I might begin. It\u2019s an honor to be with you and really brave men and women. The job you do is incredible, and the progress that you\u2019ve made in the last short period of time has been unbelievable.<\/p>\n

On April 1st of this year, I announced the launch of a powerful U.S. military law enforcement operation to combat the flow of illegal drugs across the Western Hemisphere. Today I\u2019m pleased to be with Admiral Craig Faller and his team \u2014 done an incredible job \u2014 at the U.S. Southern Command headquarters to provide an update on this incredible successful effort.<\/p>\n

\"U.S.<\/a>

U.S. President Donald J. Trump<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

We\u2019re joined by Secretary of Defense Mark Esper. Thank you, Mark. Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf. Chad, thank you. Thank you. Commandant of U.S. Coast Guard, Admiral Karl Schultz. Admiral. Associate Deputy Attorney General Amanda Liskamm. Thank you. Thank you, Amanda. Congressman Mario D\u00edaz-Balart, who is a friend of mine for a long time. Thank you very much, Mario. Great job you\u2019re doing down here. And many, many others: leaders and military geniuses and people that do a fantastic job.<\/p>\n

In just 12 weeks, SOUTHCOM\u2019s surge operation, conducted with key regional partners, has resulted in more than 1,000 arrests and the interdiction of 120 metric tons. I can only tell you that\u2019s a lot of narcotics, worth billions and billions of dollars. We\u2019re determined to keep dangerous drugs out of the country and away from our children. We\u2019re securing our seas. We\u2019re securing our borders. This is a new operation, not been done before. And this operation has been incredibly successful.<\/p>\n

As you know, in the United States, at least before the COVID came to us \u2014 the flu, the virus, the China virus, whatever you\u2019d like to call it; it\u2019s got many different names \u2014 but before it hit, we were doing really well, and we\u2019re still doing very well, but now we\u2019re getting back on track.<\/p>\n

Last year, 70,000 precious American lives were taken because of the poison that cartels bring into our country. Under my administration, drug overdose deaths fell for the first time in nearly 30 years. And they fell fairly substantially. Unfortunately, the shutdowns caused by the China virus have led to a recent rise in overdose deaths, still below the level that they were at. But nevertheless, it went up a little bit.<\/p>\n

This is one of the reasons that we\u2019re working to safely and responsibly reopen our country, reopen our schools, get our country going again, a hundred percent. We\u2019re setting records on jobs; we\u2019re setting records on many different things. We\u2019re going to have a great third quarter. The third quarter is going to be tremendous numbers. Fourth quarter, likewise. And next year, economically, will be one of the best years we\u2019ve ever had.<\/p>\n

But you\u2019ll see the numbers starting to come out really, really high in the third quarter, and you\u2019ve already seen the record-breaking job numbers. NASDAQ just hit, recently, about 12 record highs \u2014 12 days, record highs. And the other markets are right behind it. They\u2019ll be hitting records hopefully very shortly also. That means people have a lot of confidence in what we\u2019re doing.<\/p>\n

With the help of the heroes here at SOUTHCOM \u2014 Coast Guard CBP, DEA, and law enforcement \u2014 we\u2019ll work relentlessly to seize illegal drugs, arrest vile traffickers \u2014 the traffickers are truly vile; they\u2019re terrible, terrible people what they do, mostly to women and children, but women \u2014 and dismantle criminal cartels who are responsible for the deaths of thousands and thousands of Americans.<\/p>\n

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[470center]<\/p>\n

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I\u2019d like now to introduce Secretary Esper to say a few words. Mark, please.<\/p>\n

SECRETARY ESPER: Yes, thank you, Mr. President.<\/p>\n

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you.<\/p>\n

SECRETARY ESPER: Thank you very much, sir.<\/p>\n

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you, Mark.<\/p>\n

SECRETARY ESPER: And good afternoon, everyone. It\u2019s a pleasure to be here today to discuss the successes of our enhanced counter-narcotics operations in the eastern Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea.<\/p>\n

The Department of Defense began this initiative alongside our interagency partners, at the President\u2019s direction, on April 1st, as part of our whole-of-government effort to combat the flow of illicit drugs into our country and to protect the American people.<\/p>\n

Transnational criminal organizations have destroyed far too many American lives by smuggling heroin, cocaine, fentanyl, and methamphetamines into our country, leading to drug overdoses and addiction in our communities. Moreover, the profits derived from these activities support a range of bad actors, from cartels in Mexico to the illegitimate Maduro regime, which continues to oppress the Venezuelan people.<\/p>\n

Despite the challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic, our enhanced counter-narcotics operations have shown great success in countering those threats by disrupting the flow of illicit drugs, denying our adversaries financial resources, and strengthening the capacity of partner countries in the region.<\/p>\n

Since the end of March, we have employed, in the U.S. Southern Command Area of Responsibility, 75 percent more surveillance aircraft and 65 percent more ships than normal for drug interdiction. These additional assets include four Navy destroyers, five Coast Guard cutters, and eight aircraft. Currently, nearly a dozen Navy and Coast Guard ships and over 15 aircraft from across the interagency are supporting our efforts, in addition to security forces deployed to the region.<\/p>\n

Further, we have successfully engaged and encouraged 22 partner nations to join us in this fight and step up their involvement in drug interdictions.<\/p>\n

As a result of these enhanced operations, SOUTHCOM and our interagency and international partners have disrupted more than 122 metric tons of cocaine, as well as over 18,000 pounds of marijuana. We denied nearly $2 billion in drug profits, increased our targeting of known smuggling maritime events by 60 percent, and neutralized dozens of members of transnational criminal organizations.<\/p>\n

These efforts have been critical to saving countless American lives and making our communities healthier, safer, and stronger.<\/p>\n

I want to thank the President, President Donald Trump, for his leadership and bringing us together in support of this critical mission. Thank you, sir.<\/p>\n

And I am grateful for the hard work of our partners, including the U.S. Coast Guard, the Department of Homeland Security, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Department of Justice, members of the intelligence community, and support from Congress as well, for all their efforts.<\/p>\n

Together, we will maintain our enhanced presence in the region, keep the pressure on transnational criminal groups, and protect America and our communities from the scourge of illicit drugs.<\/p>\n

Thank you.<\/p>\n

THE PRESIDENT: General, please.<\/p>\n

ADMIRAL FALLER: Mr. Pres- \u2014<\/p>\n

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you, Admiral.<\/p>\n

ADMIRAL FALLER: Thank you, sir.<\/p>\n

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[470center]<\/p>\n

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Mr. President, Secretary Esper, Secretary Wolf, shipmate Karl Schultz, hometown congressman here, Mario D\u00edaz-Balart: Thank you all for your support on this important mission. This mission is vital to our homeland defense; it truly is.<\/p>\n

And I\u2019m proud to say the efforts are making a difference, Mr. President, and they\u2019re saving lives. And the team here that\u2019s assembled deserves the credit, but the resources that you\u2019ve ordered have made that happen.<\/p>\n

Other nations have stepped up, Mr. President. Colombia, for one, have stepped up despite COVID. U.S. leadership has been a key \u2014 a key piece.<\/p>\n

Mr. President, if I would, I just wanted to show a map. I have a little version in front of you. Just orient on the \u2014 on the hemisphere here, if we could put the map up.<\/p>\n

So, SOUTHCOM\u2019s responsibility in this Western Hemisphere \u2014 really, it\u2019s our neighborhood. It\u2019s \u2014 it\u2019s so close to home. So what impacts the neighbors really has a high impact on us at home, Mr. President. And that\u2019s why this is so important.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s so much opportunity here. It\u2019s our number-two trading partner outside of Asia, and so trade, economics, and democracy, importantly. And our partner nations are willing. They want to work with us, and we work with partners, from Guatemala on south and out into the Caribbean.<\/p>\n

But that\u2019s under assault. This vicious circle of threats that you see, led by the transnational criminal organizations \u2014 about a 90-billion-dollar-a-year enterprise \u2014 and it feeds off corruption and now the added instability of COVID. But I \u2014 as I said, partners have stepped up despite the COVID, which is a tribute to their \u2014 to their security teams.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s also another aspect in this neighborhood of ours, and it\u2019s, you know, what we call a national defense strategy \u2014 great power competition. So China has certainly looked at this neighborhood as an opportunity for them. And when you think about the proximity of some of their investments, Jamaica and El Salvador, it\u2019s just as close to Washington as it is to Miami, if you look at comparative distances.<\/p>\n

Slide, please.<\/p>\n

But what our citizens want \u2014 I know certainly my dad in western PA who\u2019s watching wants \u2014 is they want to know if we\u2019re making a difference. And the numbers, as we\u2019ve stated, really have. At 15 percent more disruptions \u2014 that\u2019s detainees, that\u2019s drugs off the street; that\u2019s at 122 metric tons, Mr. President.<\/p>\n

And 60 percent more targeting is a big deal for us because that means we can put more assets on more targets. And the enemy has seen that. We\u2019ve gotten information from our intelligence agencies that says the enemy has watched that and they\u2019re waiting, and they\u2019re stockpiling and they\u2019re trying to change their tactics.<\/p>\n

Those additional Navy ships; the AWACS from the Air Force; Oklahoma Guard, MC-12s; DEA Agents \u2014 it\u2019s a whole team effort, really, as we make a difference here.<\/p>\n

But that 70 percent partner participation is key, Mr. President. And I think of it this way: You know, on the field to compete when you go to golf or baseball, you want the best players with you. And we certainly have those winners with us here today.<\/p>\n

Just wanted to introduce you to two, Mr. President: Brigadier General Juan Carlos Correa, if you\u2019d stand up, General. President Duque has sent us his best and paying for it. So he comes here fully paid by Colombia, and he works for me. And it\u2019s a recognition that Colombia was with us in World \u2014 in the Korean War, and they\u2019re with us today \u2014<\/p>\n

THE PRESIDENT: That\u2019s great.<\/p>\n

SECRETARY ESPER: And making a difference.<\/p>\n

THE PRESIDENT: Say hello.<\/p>\n

BRIGADIER GENERAL CORREA: Thank you, Mr. President.<\/p>\n

SECRETARY ESPER: And our Brazilian \u2014 President Bolsonaro \u2014 very new addition to our headquarters: Major General David, one of the sharpest in Brazilian Armed Forces, is in our J5 organization.<\/p>\n

Again, Brazilians, paying for him to come here and work for me to make a difference in security. You know, Brazil has been with us since World War Two, and our relationship is growing even stronger, Mr. President.<\/p>\n

THE PRESIDENT: Say hello.<\/p>\n

SECRETARY ESPER: Last two points, Mr. President: The tactical end of this fight \u2014 and you remember being in Key West at Joint Interagency Task Force South.<\/p>\n

THE PRESIDENT: Right.<\/p>\n

SECRETARY ESPER: You rang that bell \u2014<\/p>\n

THE PRESIDENT: Right.<\/p>\n

SECRETARY ESPER: \u2014 and the warfighters responsible for that fight, Rear Admiral Doug Fears, at the end, commands JIATF- South, and Master Chief Henry Audette is a senior enlisted there. They\u2019re the ones that are really, day in and day out, the tactical edge of this fight, sir.<\/p>\n

[320left]And I\u2019ll tell you what, Mr. President: They\u2019re ringing the enemy\u2019s bell every day, sir.<\/p>\n

THE PRESIDENT: They seem to be. That\u2019s a fantastic job.<\/p>\n

SECRETARY ESPER: Thank you, sir.<\/p>\n

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much.<\/p>\n

Mr. Congressman, would you like to say something? Thank you.<\/p>\n

REPRESENTATIVE D\u00cdAZ-BALART: Mr. President, nothing \u2014 nothing prepared, but I can tell you, in my time of Congress, which is now almost 18 years, this region has, frankly, been looked over. Just barely any attention paid to it. And sometimes when the attention was paid, bad things were done.<\/p>\n

I will tell you that your administration has emphasized freedom. I want to thank you, by the way, on a personal note \u2014 a little bit of a more parochial note \u2014 for your emphasis on helping the people of Venezuela regain their freedom, helping the people of Nicaragua regain their freedom, and your solidarity to the people of Cuba, which has been, frankly, like we\u2019ve never seen.<\/p>\n

But your leadership here, in fighting narcotics coming to the United States, is literally saving American lives. So again, just as one who represents Southern Command, grateful for your emphasis of this command and what they do, but for your leadership and actually saving American lives, those who are victimized every year by this scourge of illicit narcotics. So thank you for being here, but more importantly, thank you for your leadership and your emphasis on those key issues. Thank you, sir.<\/p>\n

THE PRESIDENT: Well, I want to thank you for your leadership. You have done a fantastic job. You represent the area so well. I know this area quite well, as you can imagine, but I know it very well. \u201cLittle Venezuela,\u201d we call it. And incredible people. I know the people. And we\u2019re going to be fighting for Venezuela. We\u2019re going to be fighting from \u2014 for our friends from Cuba. They know that we\u2019ve been doing that, and so many other places. But Cuba and Venezuela, we have it very well under control. And you know what we\u2019re doing, and we\u2019re in touch all the time. So I want to thank you for your tremendous work.<\/p>\n

And maybe I could ask Amanda to say a few words, please.<\/p>\n

MS. LISKAMM: Thank you. I\u2019m honored to be here today with our interagency partners to recognize the incredible work being done to disrupt the flow of drugs to the United States.<\/p>\n

Drug trafficking organizations are devastating this country with the drugs that they are pumping in. We continue to see Mexican cartels traffic cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin, and fentanyl into the United States. This fentanyl is fueling the ongoing domestic opioid crisis, and we are seeing an increasing surge in low-cost, high-purity, and high-potency methamphetamine.<\/p>\n

Further, Colombian cartels continue to control the production and supply of cocaine and rely on a partnership with Mexican cartels to export multi-ton quantities of cocaine from Colombia to U.S. markets. As these drugs are more readily available and more deadly, we are seeing record-level overdose death rates. Every year, more Americans die from overdoses in the United States than died in the entirety of the Vietnam War. And now, for the first time in our country\u2019s history, our odds of dying from an opioid overdose are greater than from a motor vehicle crash.<\/p>\n

The Department of Justice is committed to defeating these cartels who are directly responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands of Americans each year by flooding this country with addictive poison.<\/p>\n

The department charged a record number of defendants with drug trafficking offenses last year in an effort to hold these traffickers accountable. Indeed, several leaders of Mexican cartels received significant sentences, such as life imprisonment over the past several years. And despite the influx of drugs into the United States, DEA\u2019s domestic seizures are at record levels.<\/p>\n

However, this work alone is not enough. It is clear that we can obtain the most immediate result by increasing our ability to make drug interdictions at sea before they reach the United States.<\/p>\n

This surge has been a tremendous success with over 120 metric tons of cocaine seized. The drugs seized represent almost $2 billion in profits denied to these cartels and an untold number of American lives saved. Numerous traffickers responsible for these loads of drugs will be held accountable in the United States federal district courts.<\/p>\n

Since the start of this surge, the Department of Justice has charged more than 60 defendants for the role in trafficking these drugs into the United States.<\/p>\n

This is truly a whole-of-government effort and one we are proud to be a part of. Working together, we can and will interdict these deadly drugs before they reach our country and destroy the cartels who are responsible.<\/p>\n

Thank you.<\/p>\n

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you, Amanda. Great job you\u2019re doing. Appreciate it. Thank you.<\/p>\n

Admiral, please.<\/p>\n

ADMIRAL SCHULTZ: Mr. President, it\u2019s an honor to be here with you, and it\u2019s an honor to be back at SOUTHCOM. I had the privilege of serving. This is a great team, highly professional, doing tremendous things in the region.<\/p>\n

Sir, to the DHS team just starting here, your Coast Guard has been in this game with our DHS partners \u2014 CBP Air and Marine, the Homeland Security Investigations office. We\u2019ve been involved in about 1.8 million pounds of cocaine eradicated here in the last four years.<\/p>\n

This surge here, with the support of the SecDef and your support of the SOUTHCOM team, sir, has been successful. We integrate in a joint environment remarkably well. We\u2019ve heard the numbers, so I won\u2019t repeat them. But, you know, these are transnational criminals, sir, and these are very sophisticated groups. Craig mentioned it\u2019s a 90-billion-dollar, you know, annual industry that we\u2019re disrupting here.<\/p>\n

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So I\u2019m very excited about being here. The Coast Guard has committed to doubling down our efforts here through the end of the calendar year. We take some risk in other places, but this is righteous work. The numbers on American streets, it\u2019s something north of 70,000 when you roll in the overdoses, you roll in the drug-related violence. You look at the corruption in the region, sir \u2014 this is important work for the nation. So thank you for your support, and an honor to be here.<\/p>\n

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much, Admiral. I appreciate it.<\/p>\n

Now, Chad Wolf, maybe you could also mention what\u2019s going on in Portland, because we sent you there recently. It was out of control. The locals couldn\u2019t handle it, and you people are handling it very nicely \u2014 so nicely that the press doesn\u2019t want to write about it. But why don\u2019t you tell them what you\u2019re doing in Portland, and also go into this, please?<\/p>\n

ACTING SECRETARY WOLF: Well, thank you, Mr. President. I think what we see in Portland is really a smaller example of what we see around the country regarding some of the civil unrest and the attacks on law enforcement. And what you find in Portland is about five and a half weeks of continued violence against the federal courthouse there that the Department of Homeland Security protects.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve had to send in additional individuals. We\u2019re making arrests. But there has been violence, there\u2019s been assaults on federal law enforcement officers. And it really just shouldn\u2019t occur. We should have more support of the local police there. But again, the Department of Homeland Security, along with the DOJ, FBI, and others are surging resources, and we\u2019re starting to make a difference there.<\/p>\n

THE PRESIDENT: Yeah. How many have you arrested?<\/p>\n

ACTING SECRETARY WOLF: I believe it\u2019s been close to a dozen thus far. And DOJ has charged almost as many as well.<\/p>\n

THE PRESIDENT: And I know you have it in very good control, but it\u2019s a \u2014 it\u2019s a pretty wild group, but you have it in very good control.<\/p>\n

ACTING SECRETARY WOLF: Yes, sir.<\/p>\n

THE PRESIDENT: So we\u2019re appreciate it. Local law enforcement has been told not to do too much. It\u2019s not the way it\u2019s supposed to be, but that\u2019s okay.<\/p>\n

Good job. You\u2019ve really done a great job.<\/p>\n

ACTING SECRETARY WOLF: Thank you.<\/p>\n

THE PRESIDENT: Go ahead, please.<\/p>\n

ACTING SECRETARY WOLF: Well, for decades \u2014 let me just build on what the Commandant said. For decades, counterdrug operations have really been at the core of both the Coast Guard and the Department of Homeland Security\u2019s mission. Year after year, the Coast Guard has stood watch both in the Caribbean and the Eastern Pacific.<\/p>\n

And so with this operation, Mr. President, you have recognized the threat that illicit narcotics play in harming America. And while previous administrations have admired the problem, you\u2019re taking concrete actions with this operation. This effort is bringing the power of the United States military, along with the department, to bear on this problem. And we\u2019re having successes that we\u2019ve talked about.<\/p>\n

What we\u2019ve seen is the partnership. Again DHS \u2014 not only the Coast Guard, CBP air assets are flying constantly in the region as well; and we have ICE Homeland Security Investigations helping DOJ, as we heard, prosecute. We are one team accomplished on a shared objective, and that\u2019s keeping the American people safe at the end of the day.<\/p>\n

Mr. President, I would say the men and women of the Coast Guard are unrivaled when it comes to sea-based drug interdiction. While it takes a whole-of-government approach \u2014 from collecting intelligence, to identifying targets \u2014 it\u2019s the brave men and women of the Coast Guard that continue to be at the tip of the spear. And whether it\u2019s from a Coast Guard cutter or a Navy ship, Coast Guardsmen every day are directly engaging narco-traffickers and taking them down.<\/p>\n

So I wanted to make sure that you were absolutely clear on that front. And we certainly value the partnership that we\u2019re getting from DOD, SOUTHCOM, and others.<\/p>\n

And what we heard also is, really, at your direction, we\u2019re not only seeing targets at drug cartels, we\u2019re also seeing rogue nation-states and politicians that support them. We talked about Department of Justice\u2019s recent indictment of Nicol\u00e1s Maduro and 14 of his cronies that proved to the world that everyone involved in drug smuggling will be held accountable. And I really think that that sends an example to all that whether, again, you\u2019re a drug cartel, you\u2019re a DTO, or you\u2019re a rogue nation-state, we\u2019re coming after you.<\/p>\n

So again, thank you for your support.<\/p>\n

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much.<\/p>\n

ACTING SECRETARY WOLF: And I think actions speak louder than words in this case.<\/p>\n

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you, Chad.<\/p>\n

And the wall is coming along very well. Chad is responsible for supervising that, along with the Army Corps of the \u2014 of Engineers, who have been fantastic. And, Mark Esper, that\u2019s been really one of your pet projects and it\u2019s been going along.<\/p>\n

[320left]We\u2019re up to 250 miles, and that\u2019s real wall. That\u2019s a wall that you don\u2019t get through. It\u2019s tough stuff, and built to the highest standard. Built to everything that Border Patrol wanted. They all sat down and they designed their perfect wall, and then we said, \u201cLet\u2019s build it that way.\u201d And we\u2019re up to 250 miles. By the end of the year, we\u2019ll be up to 450 or so, and we\u2019ll have it finished very shortly thereafter.<\/p>\n

And it\u2019s made a tremendous difference, because your numbers on the southern border are very, very small coming through. And especially with COVID \u2014 that turned out to be very lucky for us that we had the wall, or we would have been inundated, because they do have some big problems.<\/p>\n

I was with a great gentleman, the President of Mexico, two days ago. We had a long talk about the southern border and Mexico. And they\u2019ve had some difficulty, but he\u2019s doing a fantastic job as President. But the wall is very exciting, and we\u2019ll have that opened relatively \u2014 very, very shortly.<\/p>\n

And that was despite all odds, I would say, Mark. Wouldn\u2019t you say? That was despite all odds. We had a certain party that was against it. They\u2019re not against it anymore. You know, in the end, they just raised their hand, they said, \u201cWe don\u2019t want to take this on,\u201d because politically it turned out to be as good as we always knew.<\/p>\n

You know, two things never change: walls and wheels. A wheel will never change. You know, they were talking about technology. Technology is no good without the wall. And \u2014 but it\u2019s something that I\u2019ve heard for a long time. Two things you will never change, in a thousand years from now: a wheel and a wall. They work. And this wall has really been unbelievable the way it\u2019s worked.<\/p>\n

So, great job, and let\u2019s get it finished. And tremendous numbers on the southern border. Very few people coming in. Appreciate it. And we\u2019ve made a lot of legal changes too. It makes it a lot easier for you.<\/p>\n

Robert, please.<\/p>\n

MR. O\u2019BRIEN: Mr. President, thank you. I want to take folks back to April 1st, as the COVID-19 Coronavirus crisis was breaking and all attention was focused on it. The President had the foresight to launch an enhanced operation to disrupt the flow of dangerous drugs to the United States from narco-terrorists. Our adversaries believed that the United States would be distracted. But, Mr. President, you weren\u2019t distracted. And I think you remember you sent Secretary Wolf and Admiral Schultz, Secretary Esper, Attorney General Barr, and me out to make the announcement on this operation.<\/p>\n

The traffickers use their funds for nefarious purposes, among them to finance the regime of Nicol\u00e1s Maduro, the illegitimate regime in Venezuela. And for years, Venezuela has flooded the United States with cocaine. It poisons our communities, and it fuels a dangerous epidemic of addiction that threatens the safety and security of all Americans.<\/p>\n

The situation in Venezuela has gotten so bad that, earlier this week, Admiral Fuller [sic] \u2014 Faller called Venezuela a \u201cparadise\u201d for drug traffickers who enjoy the support and cooperation of the Maduro regime and his allies.<\/p>\n

At a crackdown on the traffickers, President Trump deployed additional ships, aircraft, security forces that you\u2019ve heard about. But the other thing that he did, which is less focused on, is he rallied our 22-nation coalition partnership to help in this effort to interdict drugs.<\/p>\n

So that fight includes, as you\u2019ve heard, Colombia, Ecuador, Honduras, El Salvador. On the flight down from Air Force One, Mr. President, I told you I was on the phone with my counterpart in the Netherlands, the Dutch national security advisor, and they have been part of this coalition fight. And they\u2019re \u2014 they\u2019re very proud to be partnered up with Customs and Border Patrol, DEA, the Coast Guard, our military, working in the Caribbean and the eastern Pacific, where they\u2019ve had \u2014 where we\u2019ve all had a huge effect.<\/p>\n

In addition to this operation, the Colombian-led operation Orion 5, in partnership with the United States, has disrupted or seized approximately 50 additional metric tons of cocaine that would have otherwise come into our country, Mr. President.<\/p>\n

So President Trump has been resolute in his commitment to protecting the American people from the scourge of narco-terrorists and traffickers. Our military deployments in the Caribbean and in the eastern Pacific will endure. Those profiting from illicit drugs and the destruction of our communities will be brought to justice.<\/p>\n

The United States will continue its maximum pressure campaign on the Maduro regime, which has a criminal hold over Venezuela. And I can tell, for the Venezuelan people, when I speak with President Trump, he asks almost every day, \u201cHow are things going in Venezuela? What can we do to help the Venezuelan people?\u201d This operation is part of that effort.<\/p>\n

[320left]Venezuela is a narco-state, led by a corrupt, criminal, illegitimate regime, and the people of Venezuela are suffering because of Maduro.<\/p>\n

Mr. President, you\u2019ve been committed to cutting off his financial lifelines, identifying ways to continue to support the Venezuelan people and ensure the unfettered flow of humanitarian aid to those same people that are suffering.<\/p>\n

So for those of you in Venezuela, I can \u2014 I can let you know that President Trump continues to stand with you. He stands with Interim President Guaid\u00f3, the democratically elected National Assembly, and all the people that are fighting for their freedom and their basic human rights, and a restoration of democracy and the rule of law in Venezuela.<\/p>\n

President Trump\u2019s fight against drugs and narco-trafficking in the Caribbean and in the eastern Pacific are good for the United States of America, they\u2019re good for the people of the region, including Venezuela, but they\u2019re also good for the entire world.<\/p>\n

So, Mr. President, it\u2019s an honor to serve with you in this \u2014 in this effort. Thank you for all that you\u2019re doing, sir.<\/p>\n

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much, Robert.<\/p>\n

And, James, please.<\/p>\n

MR. CARROLL: President Trump, as your principal drug advisor, thank you for your commitment and your leadership on the drug issue. I echo your thanks to the men and women who wear a uniform, whether it\u2019s the military or whether it\u2019s our state and local law enforcement partners who are stopping these deadly drugs from entering our country, and thus saving American lives.<\/p>\n

You laid out a comprehensive strategy to prevent drug use before it starts, to get more people into treatment, and importantly, as we\u2019re talking about today, to stop these drugs from coming into our homeland.<\/p>\n

At your direction, we\u2019ve implemented a whole-of-government approach, we\u2019ve made record investments, and we\u2019re taking real action, which meant you have received \u2014 and more importantly, the American people have received \u2014 real progress.<\/p>\n

We must recognize these drug cartels are trying to take advantage of the pandemic, and you are not letting that happen. You are making certain that those people who are suffering and risk death are making sure that we are taking the steps necessary to protect them. That\u2019s why your leadership in this step is so important. You\u2019re sending a clear message that this administration, that this country, will not let up in our fight against drug traffickers.<\/p>\n

You\u2019re doing it also with our international partners. For the first time, Colombia \u2014 I recognize the work done there \u2014 they eradicated 13,000 hectares of cocaine in one month, last month in June, and that is before they begin the aerial eradication that we have talked about so often.<\/p>\n

We cannot let these drug traffickers take advantage, especially these cocaine traffickers that are coming up through this AOR. The surge operations are effective, and they\u2019re going to continue. And we are going to take the fight to these drug traffickers.<\/p>\n

You have relentlessly committed to the American people by making investments of $36 billion for both the military fight, our law enforcement fight, as well as treatment and, of course, one of the signature programs of the First Lady \u2014 something that\u2019s really been led by Kellyanne Conway \u2014 of speaking to the American people about the dangers of drug use. The media campaigns that she and the First Lady have done have really made a huge difference in what has happened. And so I\u2019m very appreciative to be a colleague of hers.<\/p>\n

We rely on Admiral Faller, Admiral Schultz, Admiral Fears, and Master Chief Audette as the ones who are out there actually taking the risk, taking the dangers for the American people. We appreciate what you all are doing, and we urge you to continue to be relentless.<\/p>\n

Thank you.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

[470center]<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much.<\/p>\n

And, Douglas and Henry, if you\u2019d like to say something, go ahead.<\/p>\n

MASTER CHIEF AUDETTE: Absolutely.<\/p>\n

THE PRESIDENT: Would you like to start? Go ahead.<\/p>\n

MASTER CHIEF AUDETTE: Thank you, Mr. President. I appreciate the opportunity. I\u2019m proudly serving at JIATF-South. And I\u2019ll tell you, our workforce is ecstatic about the assets that are coming down into our theater. Our morale is very high.<\/p>\n

THE PRESIDENT: Good.<\/p>\n

MASTER CHIEF AUDETTE: Our workforce is working relentlessly, as you said, sir, to make sure that we are building our immune system and keeping it good so we can work throughout this COVID crisis. They\u2019re doing it through great sacrifice to their families at times, but they do it because they believe in the mission that we\u2019re doing. And we want to stop these transnational (inaudible).<\/p>\n

THE PRESIDENT: So we\u2019re working on your immune system.<\/p>\n

MASTER CHIEF AUDETTE: Yes, sir.<\/p>\n

THE PRESIDENT: That\u2019s an interesting one. Not too many people have heard that one. I like that. What do you do for your immune system? Stay in shape?<\/p>\n

MASTER CHIEF AUDETTE: Absolutely, sir. Working out. Hydrating properly.<\/p>\n

THE PRESIDENT: That\u2019s good.<\/p>\n

MASTER CHIEF AUDETTE: Staying (inaudible).<\/p>\n

THE PRESIDENT: I\u2019m going to have to start doing that, I think. That\u2019s a good idea. (Laughter.)<\/p>\n

MASTER CHIEF AUDETTE: We\u2019re doing it, and we\u2019re proud to do it.<\/p>\n

THE PRESIDENT: That\u2019s great. No, that\u2019s great.<\/p>\n

MASTER CHIEF AUDETTE: And then, lastly, I\u2019d tell you: Our men and women in the military really appreciate the 3.1 percent pay raise you gave us this year. It means a lot to our men and women who work hard going into harm\u2019s way all across the globe.<\/p>\n

So, thank you so much, sir.<\/p>\n

THE PRESIDENT: Well, thank you. And, Mario, obviously you had a good immune system because you recovered.<\/p>\n

REPRESENTATIVE D\u00cdAZ-BALART: Thank God.<\/p>\n

THE PRESIDENT: It wasn\u2019t pleasant, but you \u2014 you got there, right?<\/p>\n

REPRESENTATIVE D\u00cdAZ-BALART: I don\u2019t recommend that as a dietary (inaudible). (Laughter.)<\/p>\n

THE PRESIDENT: No, it\u2019s not good. But you did a good job.<\/p>\n

REPRESENTATIVE D\u00cdAZ-BALART: And, by the way, thank you for your kind, multiple calls while I was (inaudible).<\/p>\n

THE PRESIDENT: Absolutely. Well, you\u2019ve been my friend. Thank you very much, Mario.<\/p>\n

Please.<\/p>\n

REAR ADMIRAL FEARS: Sir, thank you for coming down today. As your tactical commander down on the edge of this operation, I\u2019ve been in this mission space for over 30 years. I\u2019ve never seen this many resources applied to the problems (inaudible) transnational criminal organizations and counter-narcotics operations.<\/p>\n

[320left]So we have, under our roof, 21 different countries represented by their foreign liaison officers. They work \u2014 they come to work every day, trying to lean into this problem set.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve got a whole of government, from the U.S. government, with a completely joint force from all the branches of service, as well as all of our interagency partners from all the departments and agencies and beyond what\u2019s represented in this room. And so we\u2019re just grateful for the opportunity to lean into the problem.<\/p>\n

And I can tell you with surety that we\u2019re targeting and we\u2019re getting after this every single day. So thank you for your time, sir, and the resources.<\/p>\n

THE PRESIDENT: Well, thank you very much. I appreciate it, Douglas.<\/p>\n

And we have the best equipment that we\u2019ve ever had as a military. We\u2019ve spent two and a half trillion dollars on our military, and some of it\u2019s arriving, some of it\u2019s coming in, but much of it\u2019s here. So when you say, \u201cthe quality of equipment,\u201d we definitely have the best equipment we\u2019ve ever had. We have the best equipment anyone has as a military. We have things under construction that we\u2019re going to take a look at, one day soon, where we have missiles that go, I hear, 17 times faster than any other missile, and of the normal type at least. And it\u2019s something that nobody has anywhere in the world. Seventeen times faster. So it\u2019s a little hard to spot it when it goes that fast, because by the time you spot it, it\u2019s gone.<\/p>\n

But we have things happening that nobody has even thought about. So thank you very much. You\u2019ve done a fantastic job. You have all done a really fantastic job, and it\u2019s an honor to be here.<\/p>\n

I want to thank all of the folks behind me too. I don\u2019t want to be rude, because you\u2019re more important than all of us, right?<\/p>\n

But I want to thank you all very much. Great job. Really great job. Great to work with you and you. And say hello. Tell them to get well fast, right? Great man. Thank you very much.<\/p>\n

Okay, thank you.<\/p>\n

Admiral, it\u2019s yours.<\/p>\n

ADMIRAL FALLER: Mr. President, thank you for the time and the attention and the resources. And we\u2019re going to stay at this mission. It\u2019s a \u2014 it\u2019s a 24\/7. And we are going to take the fight to the enemy. And the leadership here is committed to the American people. We owe it to our \u2014 our \u2014 the future. And thank you.<\/p>\n

THE PRESIDENT: You\u2019ve done a great job. Thank you very much. Thank you, Admiral. Thank you, Admiral. Thank you. (Applause.)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Washington, D.C. – PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Thank you very much. I guess I might begin. It\u2019s an honor to be with you and really brave men and women. The job you do is incredible, and the progress that you\u2019ve made in the last short period of time has been unbelievable. On April 1st of this […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[181],"tags":[13135,7331,566,3045,12675,12712,12064,13134,3234,3233,8622,11404,9442,13133,3044,10423,4135,9446,5119,607,4351,7654,7430,6487,2038,10969,3338],"class_list":["post-16629","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-government","tag-air-force-one","tag-asia","tag-china","tag-cocaine","tag-coronavirus","tag-covid-19","tag-donald-j-trump","tag-el-salvador","tag-fbi","tag-federal-bureau-of-investigation","tag-fentanyl","tag-guatemala","tag-heroin","tag-jamaica","tag-marijuana","tag-methamphetamines","tag-mexico","tag-narcotics","tag-nasdaq","tag-u-s-coast-guard","tag-u-s-department-of-homeland-security","tag-u-s-department-of-justice","tag-u-s-military","tag-u-s-president","tag-united-states","tag-venezuela","tag-washington-d-c"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.paristn.net\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16629","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.paristn.net\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.paristn.net\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.paristn.net\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.paristn.net\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16629"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.paristn.net\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16629\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16630,"href":"https:\/\/www.paristn.net\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16629\/revisions\/16630"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.paristn.net\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16629"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.paristn.net\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16629"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.paristn.net\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16629"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}