MSNBC Guest Claims Trump Plans To Use Military To Kill Any Person He Wants

MSNBC launched into wild speculation Friday night, suggesting President Donald Trump could use the U.S. military as his private army to target Americans.

The Pentagon approved the deployment of the Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group to the U.S. Southern Command to ramp up pressure on Venezuela and combat transnational cartel activity across South America.

While discussing Trump’s order on “Deadline: White House,” MSNBC host Alicia Menendez suggested it could violate international law and framed it as a potential abuse of military power.

“Even the fact that there are officers who are having that conversation tells you about the five-alarm fire that we are in, because the Trump administration claims they can lawfully kill people simply because they are suspected of drug trafficking like enemy troops, instead of arresting them for prosecution. Does that match your understanding of the law?” Menendez asked guest Tom Nichols, a staff writer for The Atlantic.

“No, not American law and not international treaties to which we are a signatory,” Nichols responded.

“The American president has said, ‘I can point the US military any place I want and kill anyone I want.’ That eventually is going to become a principle in the domestic use of the military.”

Nichols claimed Trump’s actions were part of a broader effort to normalize using the military for personal or political ends.

“He is acclimating people to the notion that the military is his private army unconstrained by law, unconstrained by norms, unconstrained by American traditions. I don’t really think this has anything to do with drugs,” Nichols said.

“Sometimes I wonder how far he’s going to go to stop the release of the Epstein files and how many distractions he’s going to throw at us.”

“This is about getting out from under his already dismal record, his record low approval ratings, his struggling with a scandal, and he is now saying, ‘I am going to acclimate the American public to the use of military force anywhere I deem it appropriate under any circumstances,’” Nichols noted.

“The president may be thinking, ‘I may well have us in a war by the time the elections roll around, which will enable me to say any opposition to me and my party is basically treason and unpatriotic.’”

Contrary to Nichols’ claim, polling shows that most Americans believe Trump is delivering on his campaign pledges.

CNN’s Harry Enten reported on Oct. 7 that 52 percent of voters think Trump is fulfilling his 2024 promises.

Menendez then agreed with Nichols’ speculation, saying their thoughts were perfectly aligned on Trump’s alleged intentions.

“Tom Nichols, your brain and my brain have gone to the exact same place,” Menendez said.

Drug traffickers have adopted increasingly deceptive methods to evade U.S. surveillance, using commercial ships, low-flying aircraft, and smaller maritime deliveries to move narcotics undetected.

The Trump administration responded by sending naval forces to the southern Caribbean in August after designating several Latin American cartels as Foreign Terrorist Organizations.

U.S. bombers have since conducted patrols near Venezuelan airspace in a show of military strength.

Analysts warn the escalating pressure campaign against Venezuela could draw Washington into a broader regional conflict.

The administration has also turned its attention to Colombia, with the Treasury Department announcing sanctions on Colombian President Gustavo Petro days after he publicly called for Trump’s removal.

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