Secretary of State Marco Rubio did not mince words this week when he told skeptical European officials that the European Union does not get to decide what constitutes international law or how the United States defends itself. His blunt reminder that foreign capitals shouldn’t lecture America on security inside our own hemisphere was a necessary rebuke to transatlantic moralizing. Rubio’s message was short, sharp, and exactly the sort of clarity Americans need from leaders who understand the threats at our doorstep.
Those remarks came against the backdrop of an aggressive U.S. campaign targeting narco-trafficking vessels linked to Venezuela, including a controversial September strike that killed people and destroyed suspected drug-running boats. The administration insists these operations are aimed at narco-terrorists who flood American streets with fentanyl and other deadly drugs, but critics in Europe and on the left have seized on questions of legality and transparency. The stakes are simple: if we allow drugs and cartels to operate with impunity, the human cost in American towns will only rise.
Rubio also called out a stunning hypocrisy from our supposed allies — pointing out how European countries demand American security guarantees and advanced weaponry while loudly protesting American defensive actions in the Western Hemisphere. This is not sophistry; it is a real-world double standard that allows Europe to lean on US defense while lecturing us about how to protect our own citizens. Americans should not tolerate sanctimonious lectures from capitals that expect our military to shield them yet balk when we use the tools necessary to stop narcotics at sea.
Of course, that bluntness has consequences: reports say some European partners have pulled back intelligence cooperation and vocally criticized the strikes, turning political posturing into operational distrust. Meanwhile, senior Democrats in Congress have demanded release of full, unedited footage and more answers, pressing transparency as a weaponized cudgel rather than a genuine pursuit of accountability. If Washington is to continue these operations, the administration owes Americans lawful justification, but it should also not allow European pique and partisan theatre to hamstring efforts to stop fentanyl from killing our neighbors.
The political left’s reflexive outrage is predictable: demand footage, cry illegality, and hope public pressure forces a retreat — all while offering no credible plan to halt the flow of drugs. Conservatives understand that enforcement sometimes requires decisive action, even when it makes diplomats uncomfortable in Brussels. We are at war with narco-terrorists who view our open borders and lawless seas as supply lines; half-measures and obedience to foreign opinion will not stop that threat.
Congress should back the administration’s duty to protect Americans while insisting on lawful oversight, not performative rebukes designed to score headlines. The House’s recent votes and the debates in both parties make clear this is the flashpoint where national security, sovereignty, and accountability collide. Let lawmakers demand answers and demand results — but let them not hamstring commanders who are acting to save American lives.
If Europe wants to lecture, let them answer for their own security first and stop expecting American weapons and resolve without responsibility. Rubio’s warning was not saber-rattling for show; it was a sober declaration that the United States will defend its people and will not be shamed into inaction by elites who fear the tough choices real security demands. For hardworking Americans watching their communities ravaged by illegal drugs, that kind of backbone is not merely welcome — it is essential.
