Former Pentagon official and Army Special Forces veteran Steven Bucci joined Chicago’s Morning Answer to discuss President Trump’s proposed military action against drug cartels, the global energy standoff with Russia, and U.S. leadership in Venezuela and Eastern Europe.
Bucci, now a visiting fellow at the Heritage Foundation’s Allison Center for Foreign Policy Studies, said Trump’s plan to target cartel-linked drug boats in international waters is legally sound and strategically justified. “We haven’t declared war in decades,” Bucci explained, “but the president can seek an Authorization for the Use of Force. It gives Congress a chance to approve a clearly defined mission and removes any question of legality.” He said the War Powers Act allows a president to act quickly in emergencies but noted that formal authorization would ensure bipartisan backing and eliminate doubts about the operation’s legitimacy.
Bucci described the strikes on cartel vessels as a “no-brainer,” emphasizing that these are not fishing boats but “purpose-built drug subs designed to evade detection.” He said the policy could save American lives by cutting off the flow of deadly narcotics before they reach U.S. shores.
Responding to critics who claim Trump is weaponizing the military for political purposes, Bucci dismissed the argument as “pure fiction.” He cited commentary from MSNBC analyst Tom Nichols, who alleged Trump was “acclimating Americans to domestic military use,” and called it “100% fanciful speculation.” “Just because you don’t like a man doesn’t mean what he’s doing is unconstitutional,” Bucci said. “There’s no evidence Trump has used the military improperly. It’s all in the fevered minds of his detractors.”
Turning to Venezuela, Bucci agreed with the view that restoring democracy there would benefit the entire Western Hemisphere, not just morally but economically. “Venezuela is a hub for drug trafficking,” he said. “Removing that beachhead would help stabilize the region and slow the flow of narcotics and organized crime into the U.S.”
The conversation later shifted to Europe, where Bucci criticized the European Union for continuing to purchase Russian oil and gas even as it condemns Moscow’s war in Ukraine. “You can’t fund Putin’s war machine and then decry what he’s doing with it,” he said. “Europe needs to stop relying on Russian energy—and America should step in to sell it to them. Until that happens, Putin will keep holding them over a barrel.”
Bucci also dismissed Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s recent diplomatic overtures as recycled propaganda designed to buy time while Moscow maintains its military campaign. “Dictators like Putin and his allies have no shame in lying,” he said. “They’ll look you in the eye and fabricate anything if it keeps the world off-balance.”
Bucci concluded by warning that the U.S. must pair its military strength with economic and energy policy to maintain credibility abroad. “If we don’t replace Russian energy with our own, we can’t pressure them to change,” he said. “We don’t need another war—but we do need to act like the global leader we claim to be.”