The next is the transcript of the interview with Sen. Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina, that aired on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” on Oct. 26, 2025.
MARGARET BRENNAN: We flip now to Republican Senator Lindsey Graham. He joins us from Seneca, South Carolina. Welcome again to Face The Nation. Senator–
SENATOR LINDSEY GRAHAM: Good morning.
MARGARET BRENNAN: On Friday, Protection Secretary Hegseth ordered the deployment of the Navy’s most superior plane service, the Gerald Ford, to Latin America. President Trump was requested if he deliberate to ask Congress for a declaration of struggle. Take a pay attention.
[SOUND ON TAPE BEGINS]
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: I do not suppose we will essentially ask for a declaration of struggle. I feel we’re simply going to kill individuals which are bringing medicine into our nation, OK. We’ll kill them. , they will be, like, lifeless.
[SOUNDS OF TAPE ENDS]
MARGARET BRENNAN: You do not want an plane service to hit drug boats are land strikes deliberate?
SEN. GRAHAM: Yeah, I feel that is an actual risk. I feel President Trump’s decided that Maduro, the chief of Venezuela, is an indicted drug, drug trafficker, that it is time for him to go, that Venezuela and Colombia have been protected havens for narco-terrorists for too lengthy, and President Trump informed me yesterday that he plans to temporary members of Congress when he will get again from Asia about future potential army operations towards Venezuela and Colombia. So there can be a congressional briefing a couple of potential increasing from the ocean to the land. I help that concept, however I feel he has all of the authority he wants. Senator Gallego, on one other community, accused President Trump and our army of committing homicide by attacking these drug boats. To our women and men in uniform, you are not murdering anyone. You are making America safer by going after a narco-terrorist. You are following lawful orders. When President Bush, 41, took Ortega out in Panama, Reagan went into Grenada to take care of the Cuban affect from Grenada in our yard, he has all of the authority on the earth. This isn’t homicide. That is defending America from being poisoned by narco-terrorists coming from Venezuela and Colombia.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Nicely, so much there. However simply to make clear the examples you are citing, additionally concerned floor troops. You mentioned time for Maduro to go. That sounds so much like regime change. Are you speaking about troops on the bottom?
SEN. GRAHAM: I am going to let the President communicate to that. I am speaking a couple of briefing that might develop army operations probably from the ocean to the land. It’s time for Maduro to go. It was time for Ortega to go. , the Monroe Doctrine has been robustly utilized by President Trump. So these army belongings are shifting ahead to take care of a rustic that is acquired blood on its fingers on the subject of Individuals by flooding our nation with medicine from Venezuela and Colombia. So I hope Maduro would go away peacefully, however I do not suppose he will keep round for much longer. I feel President Trump is uninterested in Venezuela getting used as a staging platform to poison America?
MARGARET BRENNAN Nicely, there’s so much there, sir, however you cited a Democratic senator’s criticism. He is not the one one. A few of your Republican colleagues have been uncomfortable with what little info has been shared with Congress. Take a pay attention:
[SOUND ON TAPE BEGINS]
SEN. RAND PAUL: If they need all out struggle the place we kill anyone and everyone that’s within the nation of Venezuela or popping out that has to have a declaration of struggle. It is one thing that’s not fairly, very costly, and I am not in favor of declaring struggle on Venezuela, however the Congress ought to vote. And the President should not do that by himself.
SEN. JAMES LANKFORD: If this was occurring with this stage of perception below the Biden administration, I might be apoplectic.
[SOUND ON TAPE ENDS]
MARGARET BRENNAN: Todd Younger additionally criticized this, what precisely is the top recreation? Since you’re speaking about regime change in Venezuela, the President says that is about drug boats.
SEN. GRAHAM: Yeah. Nicely, I feel the top recreation is to guarantee that Venezuela and Colombia can’t be used to poison America, that the narco-terrorist dictator Maduro now not have the ability to threaten our nation and to ship in medicine to kill Individuals. As to Rand Paul, I simply disagree elementary together with his strategy. We did not have a declaration to enter Panama. Bush 41 went into Panama to switch the management there, as a result of the Panama management, Panamanian management, have been working with drug cartels to threaten our nation. Reagan did not have a declaration of struggle congressional authorization to take care of Cuban affect. So this idea- Rand Paul, I simply basically disagree with. To the opposite senators, you deserve extra info, and you are going to get extra info, however there is no such thing as a requirement for Congress to declare struggle earlier than the commander-in-chief can use power. Panama and Grenada are two examples in our yard, the place Republican presidents selected to go after international locations and leaders that have been threatening our individuals.
MARGARET BRENNAN: However there appeared to be various points wound up in right here. I do know you personally used to function a decide advocate within the Air Pressure. We appeared on the JAG guide: preventative self protection employed to counter non imminent threats is prohibited below worldwide regulation. So if we’re not at struggle and these suspected criminals pose no menace of imminent violence, is not this probably a struggle crime to be killing the individuals on these boats after which to be taking out a pacesetter?
SEN. GRAHAM: No, under no circumstances. I do not know what man you are referring to, however I do know what President Bush, 41 did. He took down Ortega [sic], the chief of Panama, as a result of he was concerned in drug trafficking threatening our nation. Venezuela is now partnering with Hezbollah. Hezbollah is operating out of cash as a result of Iran is weak.
MARGARET BRENNAN: That is not new.
SEN. GRAHAM: Partnering with drug cartels in Venezuela. No, it ought to have stopped. Here is what, this is what’s new. You bought a commander-in-chief’s not going to place up with this crap. We’re not going to take a seat on the sidelines and watch boats full of medication come to our nation. We’ll blow them up and kill the people who need to poison America, and we’re now going to develop operations, I feel, to the land. So please be clear about what I am saying right now. President Donald Trump sees Venezuela and Colombia as direct threats to our nation, as a result of they home Narco terrorist organizations. The chief of Venezuela is an indicted drug vendor in American courts. So yeah, the sport is altering on the subject of drug traffickers and drug cartels. We’ll use army power like we’ve prior to now to guard our nation. That is the brand new recreation we’re taking part in, and I am glad we’re taking part in that recreation, and if I have been Maduro, I might discover a solution to depart earlier than warmth goes down.
MARGARET BRENNAN: However is trafficking cocaine an armed assault on the USA? That is what you are equating it to?
SEN. GRAHAM: I’m saying that there is loads of regulation below article, Article Two powers of the President are designed to guard our international locations from threats overseas and home. Was it unlawful for Bush to take Ortega out in Panama? Was it unlawful for Reagan to enter Grenada to cease Cuban affect constructing this massive, lengthy runway? There’s loads of precedent right here to do what he is doing. However the recreation has modified. The sport has modified on the subject of narco trafficking, drug organizations. We’ll take you out.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Nicely, you referenced one thing earlier. Sorry. I need to come again to you mentioned to the women and men of the army that they’re finishing up lawful orders. Secretary Hegseth eliminated the highest uniformed attorneys within the Air Pressure, you already know this, the Navy and the Military, as a result of he known as them roadblocks to orders which are given by a commander-in-chief. There have been different departures as effectively. This raises concern that commanders should not being given sufficient authorized counsel. That’s the reason you simply mentioned that sentence, to guarantee them.
SEN. GRAHAM: That is that is rubbish, that is absolute rubbish–
(Crosstalk)
MARGARET BRENNAN: Which that Hegseth mentioned that?
SEN. GRAHAM: No, no. I am saying that- the idea that President Trump’s doing one thing right here illegally, coping with a rustic that is run by an indicted drug vendor. It is the identical as Panama. There’s a greater case to enter Venezuela than there was Panama. There’s a greater case to take care of Colombia than there was Grenada. Yeah, I have been doing this all of my grownup life. I’ve all the boldness on the earth that President Trump has the authorized authority, however extra importantly, he is doing the best factor. Extra Individuals have died from cocaine and fentanyl poisoning than any terrorist group on the earth. I’m more than happy that we now have a president who’s going to make use of the total power of, of the American individuals, the would possibly of America, to guard us from narco terrorist states and drug organizations. Stick with it, Mr. President, we’re not committing homicide. We’re defending our nation from individuals who need to poison us.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Nicely, there’s clearly consumers on the opposite finish of it, which is why the cartels are promoting, proper?
SEN. GRAHAM: Nicely yeah, we’ll take care of each. We’ll take care of each.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Nicely I need to come again to– after we speak about lawful orders right here, I personally spoke to a former senior commander who mentioned he’d need that in writing due to concern that, that that is going to be down the road questionable.
SEN. GRAHAM: What in writing?
MARGARET BRENNAN: You’ve got already heard the orders to hold out operations. You’ve got already heard Democratic lawmakers, together with on this program, say that they’ve issues about future prosecutions of officers.
SEN. GRAHAM: Nicely act in your issues. Why do not you- Why do not you- Okay, for those who’ve acquired issues, this is what we will do as members of Congress. We are able to lower off funding for army operations we do not like. So for those who’re involved as a Democrat or Republican, why do not you introduce laws to chop off all funding to the army on the subject of attacking drug votes and going after narco terrorist states by means of the army. You are able to do that. Go forward and do it. I am going to vote no. I feel it has all of the authority on the earth below Article Two and worldwide regulation to guarantee that international locations like Venezuela cannot be staging areas to infiltrate medicine into our nation. It is not a, I feel it has all of the authorized authority on the earth. I am simply actually glad he is doing this and Mr. President, stick with it.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Nicely, we look ahead to listening to these justifications when they’re shared with Congress. You made some information there, Senator. Thanks to your time right now. We’ll be again in a second.
