Donald Trump Gets Sassy With Reporters as He Declares We're Going to 'Kill People' in Chilling Message: Watch

Donald Trump is stirring the pot again.

On Thursday, October 23, the president held a round table on criminal cartels inside the White House State Dining Room, where he doubled down on his aggressive approach to drug smugglers overseas — even as legal questions keep piling up.

During the discussion, a reporter pushed back with a pointed question: “Mr President. If you are declaring war against these cartels and Congress is likely to approve of that process, why not just ask for a declaration of war?”

Trump didn’t miss a beat, replying, “Well, I don't think we're going to necessarily ask for a declaration of war. I think we're just gonna kill people that are bringing drugs into our country. Okay, we're going to kill them, you know, they're going to be like dead, okay."

Since early September, the U.S. has carried out multiple strikes on alleged narcotics-trafficking vessels across the Caribbean and Pacific, reportedly killing at least 37 people. The Pentagon has released few details, though officials confirmed some operations occurred near Venezuela, per Reuters.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth described one strike near Venezuela two days ago as being carried out “on President Trump’s orders,” sharing video of a boat engulfed in flames.

The White House claimed these actions fall under a declared “non-international armed conflict” with drug cartels, which legal experts disagree with.

At the roundtable, Hegseth defended the tactics, comparing them to wartime protocols.

“In those conflicts, we captured thousands on the battlefield and handed over 99% to host-nation authorities,” he said. "Did we always like the outcome? Not always. But it was the standard, and it’s the same here."

Trump went even further, hinting the government may now focus on smuggling routes closer to home.

"We will hit them very hard when they come in by land, and they haven't experienced that yet. But now, we're totally prepared to do that," he said on Wednesday, October 22.

He then doubled down the next day, stating, "Now they are coming in by land ... you know, the land is going to be next," signaling more force could be on the way.

Congressman Adam Smith didn’t hold back as he weighed in on the situation.

“If the United States military is going to use lethal force — no trial, just fire the shots and kill people — you need to be 100 percent clear on why, what you’re doing, and what it’s supposed to accomplish,” he said.

“There is no clarity on that coming from the White House,” he added.