U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters in Washington on Tuesday that the United States has attacked a third vessel."You [the press] only know about two, but in reality there were three," he said, without providing further details about the circumstances of this third military operation against vessels that, according to the White House, are involved in drug trafficking between Venezuela and the United States.

On Monday, Trump announced an attack on a suspected drug boat originating in Venezuela, which left three dead—"three male terrorists," he wrote on his social media platform, Truth, the site of the announcement. This Tuesday also marks two weeks since the U.S. military sank another boat, this time with 11 crew members on board. All of them died.

Trump made the announcement shortly before boarding the presidential helicopter, Marine One, with First Lady Melania Trump at the start of his trip to the United Kingdom for a state visit. It is his second trip as president of London's ally.

Shortly before his flight, the US president took the opportunity to send a message to Nicolás Maduro, his Venezuelan counterpart, from the White House lawn. “Stop sending drugs to the United States,” he warned. “Stop sending [members of the criminal gang] Tren de Aragua or their prisoners to our country,” he added, before boasting about the positive numbers achieved on the southern border since his return to power, a time in which apprehensions of irregular migrants along the border with Mexico have drastically dropped “to zero.”

Trump also insisted on an idea, already expressed the day before, that the military operations of dubious international legality launched in the Caribbean as part of the U.S. authorities' crusade against drug trafficking, which they consider an act of legitimate defense, are causing ships to disappear in those waters."There aren't even any fishing boats; nobody wants to go out fishing. It is what it is."

The Trump administration considers drug cartels, especially those in Venezuela, a threat to"the national security, foreign policy, and vital interests of the United States," it wrote Monday in Truth. Last February, Washington included the Tren de Aragua (Aragua Train) on the State Department's list of foreign terrorist organizations.

Since Trump considers drug trafficking an"imminent threat" to the United States, he believes he has the right to order military strikes against such threats without needing to seek congressional approval, which would be the normal course of action.

The first attack remains shrouded in mystery and has sparked a debate in Washington over its legality. A group of senators from both parties demanded official explanations in a letter sent to Trump, while human rights advocates denounced that"this Administration is normalizing extrajudicial killings." Trump said the Army, which carried out the operation, has abundant evidence that the vessel was trafficking drugs, but has not yet made it public. The Chavistas deny that the 11 crew members were drug traffickers.

Regarding the second operation in “international” waters—the Republican specified—in the Caribbean, Trump said this Monday: “We have proof. Just look at the cargo. It was spread across the ocean: [there was] cocaine and fentanyl everywhere. We have it all recorded very carefully, because we knew you [journalists] would come after us [for answers].”

In a casual encounter with reporters on Sunday, while returning from a weekend golfing trip in New Jersey, Trump had already mentioned two attacks, although only one had been reported, but again, he offered no further details. Venezuelan authorities have yet to respond to the US president's announcement on Tuesday.

In addition to Venezuela, Trump spoke at the foot of Marine One about a varied range of hot topics, as usual.

He confirmed that Washington has reached an agreement with China on TikTok, which will be signed on Friday, in a conversation with President Xi Jinping; said he has “heard” that Hamas plans to use the hostages it still holds as “human shields” in Gaza; warned Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian prime minister, that he “will have to make a deal” to end the Russian invasion of his country; threatened to deploy troops in Chicago to combat crime (following Los Angeles, Washington, and now Memphis); and silenced an Australian journalist who asked him a question about the apparent conflicts of interest between his private businesses and his performance as president of the United States.

On the way to the United Kingdom

The visit to the United Kingdom comes at a time when the tense current events in the United States bode well for a less peaceful trip than both allies hope. Trump will land in London tonight (Greenwich Mean Time) amid the echoes of the dismissal of the ambassador to Washington, Peter Mandelson, for his friendship with the billionaire pedophile Jeffrey Epstein and for collaborating on a birthday book that also includes Trump's name (and signature) - although he denies it - and the murder of MAGA activist Charlie Kirk. Both events have altered Downing Street's plans and anticipate political tension and an unprecedented security deployment throughout the week.

The Trumps plan to stay at Windsor Castle, where they will arrive as guests of King Charles III of England, whom the US president described to reporters in Washington as"a very elegant man." "Normally, they put people up at Buckingham Palace, but they're making an exception for us," the Republican stated proudly.

British authorities have been preparing a major police operation for weeks, which will include up to 55 drones constantly flying over Windsor, as well as armed response vehicles and special riot gear for officers, who will maintain 24-hour surveillance of the area from Tuesday to Thursday, the day the Trumps are scheduled to conclude their visit.

The US president traveled to Scotland at the end of July, but then it was on a private trip to inspect two golf courses he owns in the United Kingdom. On that trip, he, as is also his custom, mixed the personal and the political. He not only met with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer; he also took the opportunity to announce a tariff agreement with the European Union, which was punctuated by a visit by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to Trump's Turnberry golf course.