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By Adeola Adeosun
Weekend Night Editor
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A recent Harvard CAPS-Harris Poll conducted December 2-4 surveyed 2,204 registered voters about military engagement with alleged drug boats in the Caribbean. The poll presented a scenario in which one was struck twice with missiles, as survivors of the first strike were killed by the second.
Results show 62 percent support intercepting rather than sinking suspected drug boats, while 54 percent believe the second missile strike was wrong. The survey comes amid ongoing controversy over the U.S. military's strikes on Venezuelan vessels in the Caribbean, with CNN reports indicating a targeted vessel was headed to Suriname, not directly to the United States.
Newsweek reached out to the Department of Defense (DOD) via email on Monday for comment.
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Why It Matters
The poll reflects significant public concern about the use of lethal force in alleged drug interdiction operations, particularly regarding rules of engagement and potential civilian casualties. The findings come as President Donald Trump's administration faces intensifying scrutiny over its tactics in the Caribbean, with newly reported details potentially undermining initial justifications that the boat posed an imminent threat to American shores.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has defended the strikes as "lawful under both U.S. and international law," but revelations about the vessel's destination have fueled legal and political scrutiny.
What To Know
According to the Harvard CAPS-Harris Poll, 62 percent of registered voters prefer intercepting alleged drug boats over sinking them, with 38 percent supporting destruction. The partisan breakdown reveals stark divisions: 78 percent of Democrats favor interception compared to 40 percent of Republicans, while independents show 69 percent support for interception.
On whether launching a second strike that may kill survivors was appropriate, 54 percent believe it was wrong while 46 percent say it was right. Republicans showed strongest support at 74 percent, compared to just 24 percent of Democrats and 36 percent of independents supporting the action.
The poll was supervised by Mark Penn, chairman of The Harris Poll, Dritan Nesho, CEO of HarrisX, and Stephen Ansolabehere, professor and CAPS director emeritus at Harvard University. The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 1.99 percentage points on a 95 percent confidence level.
According to CNN reporting last week, Admiral Frank "Mitch" Bradley told lawmakers that the boat targeted in the September 2 strike was headed to link up with a larger vessel bound for Suriname, not directly to the United States as initially said by the Trump administration. Bradley maintained there was still a "possibility the drug shipment could have ultimately made its way from Suriname to the U.S," which, he said, justified the strike. The U.S. military was unable to locate the larger vessel. The attack unfolded in two phases, with the initial strike splitting the boat and leaving two survivors clinging to wreckage before successive drone missiles killed those survivors and sank the vessel. Bradley reported that the survivors were seen waving at something in the air.
Trump addressed the controversy on November 30, telling reporters that Hegseth denied ordering "no survivors" during strikes. "He said he didn't do it, so I don't have to make that decision," the president said, adding: "I wouldn't have wanted that—a second strike. The first strike was very lethal. It was fine."
What People Are Saying
Hegseth, on X Friday: "The @DeptofWar will never, ever back down. America First. Peace through Strength. Common Sense. For the warriors, always."
Trump, in a message posted across social media in November: "To all Airlines, Pilots, Drug Dealers, and Human Traffickers, please consider THE AIRSPACE ABOVE AND SURROUNDING VENEZUELA TO BE CLOSED IN ITS ENTIRETY. Thank you for your attention to this matter! PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP"
U.S. Senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island, top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, in a statement Thursday: "I am deeply disturbed by what I saw this morning. The Department of Defense has no choice but to release the complete, unedited footage of the September 2nd strike, as the President has agreed to do.
"This briefing confirmed my worst fears about the nature of the Trump Administration’s military activities and demonstrates exactly why the Senate Armed Services Committee has repeatedly requested – and been denied – fundamental information, documents, and facts about this operation. This must and will be the only beginning of our investigation into this incident."
Republican U.S. Senator Markwayne Mullin, on X Wednesday: "Barack Obama killed hundreds of innocent civilians in drone attacks. Not a word from libs on 'war crimes.' Meanwhile, over 70% of Americans support @POTUS and @SecWar blowing up narco-terrorists who’ve poisoned our friends, family members, and neighbors before they reach our shores. These drug trafficking killers murdered more Americans last year than the U.S. lost in the entire Vietnam War. They don’t give a rip about American lives. I’m all for sending these killers to the bottom of the ocean."
Former U.S. Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro, on X Friday: "Why are we striking boats traveling between Venezuela and Suriname?"
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What Happens Next
Lawmakers have called on the DOD to release full unedited video footage of the September missile attack to clarify the sequence of events and orders given.
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