Trump designates fentanyl a weapon of mass destruction
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President Trump at the Mexican Border Defense Medal presentation in the Oval Office on Dec. 15, 2025. Photo: Bonnie Cash/UPI/Bloomberg/Getty Images
President Trump signed an executive order on Monday declaring illicit fentanyl a weapon of mass destruction.
The big picture: The order, which classifies the narcotic as a chemical weapon, authorizes several Trump administration departments and agencies to "eliminate" the threat of "illicit" fentanyl and its precursors.
- The move follows the administration's escalating operations to target alleged drug vessels near Venezuela — a tactic Trump said last week that he would consider to curb the flow of drugs from Mexico and Colombia.
- Earlier this year, Trump also designated eight drug cartels as global terrorist organizations as part of the administration's broader strategy to widen the government's authority against such groups.
Driving the news: The executive order warned that fentanyl could be weaponized into "concentrated, large-scale terror attacks" that pose a significant danger to the country.
- The order requires Attorney General Pam Bondi to "immediately pursue investigations and prosecutions into fentanyl trafficking."
- Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent are also ordered to pursue "appropriate actions" against legal assets or financial institutions "involved in or supporting the manufacture, distribution, and sale of illicit fentanyl and its core precursor chemicals."
- "No bomb does what this is doing," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Monday before he signed the order. "So we're formally classifying fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction."
Between the lines: The term weapons of mass destruction has historically been used to define "radiological, chemical, biological, or other device that is intended to harm a large number of people," per the Department of Homeland Security.
- Trump claimed Monday that fentanyl accounts for 200,000 to 300,000 deaths annually, though the U.S. Government Accountability Office 2024 data estimated synthetic opioids, not just fentanyl, kill about 48,000 people in the U.S.
- He also acknowledged that while illicit fentanyl is highly lethal, it's also an essential medication used during surgical operations.
What we're watching: As the administration steps up operations against suspected drug-trafficking networks near Venezuela, Trump has also floated potential land-based strikes.
- In a Thanksgiving call to troops, Trump said Venezuela land strikes would happen "very soon."
Go deeper: Scoop: Homan says fentanyl as WMD "at least" merits discussion
