Trump walks back support for releasing video of second boat strike

President Trump Walks Back Support for Releasing Video of Second Boat Strike.

In a surprise turn of events, President Trump on Monday claimed he never voiced support for releasing the video of a second strike on an alleged Venezuelan drug boat that occurred in early September. The president's remarks came after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth declined to commit to releasing the Pentagon's footage.

Last week, Trump stated that if any video existed of the subsequent strike, "we'd certainly release, no problem." However, when pressed on Monday about his earlier comments, Trump insisted he never made such a statement. Instead, he said the decision is up to Hegseth.

Trump's change of heart comes as Congress presses for transparency regarding the Pentagon's war on drugs in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific. The strikes have resulted in over 80 deaths since September 2, and several lawmakers have expressed concerns about the administration's handling of the situation.

The controversy surrounding the strike has deepened, with Democrats calling it unjustified and Republicans defending it. Congress is now trying to withhold part of Hegseth's travel budget until the Pentagon releases unedited footage of the strikes as part of a compromise version of the National Defense Authorization Act.

idk why ppl care so much about this video lol i mean its just a video, but i guess its kinda big deal cuz there are like 80 deaths involved and stuff... i think its weird that trump is changing his mind tho like if he said no to releasing the video earlier it should still be no now? dont get me wrong, transparency is good and all but this just seems like politics as usual... anyway, has anyone seen that new trailer for the next season of their fave show?

I don't get why Trump is changing his mind like that. He said one thing, but then says he never said it? It's like he's trying to flip the script on something. And what's with all these strikes in the Caribbean? Over 80 people dead and nobody knows what's really going on? I'm kinda worried about the whole situation, especially since Congress is trying to hold some balance. Maybe they should release the video already, just so we know what's happening. It doesn't seem right that one person gets to decide how much transparency there is.

I gotta say, this whole thing just feels kinda shady . I mean, Trump changes his mind on releasing the video, but it sounds like he was pretty clear about it before? Like, when he said "we'd certainly release, no problem" last week, that seemed pretty direct to me... and now he's saying he never made those comments? It's hard to trust him . And what's with the Defense Secretary not committing to releasing the footage either? It's like they're hiding something . I just wish we could get some transparency on this whole thing and know what really went down...

I don't get why Trump is walking back on releasing that video. It's been all over socials and people are still curious about what happened. Now we're just gonna have to wait for Hegseth's decision? It feels like this whole thing is being handled in a pretty secretive way...

omg u wont believe whats goin on so trump claims he never said we'd release the vid of that 2nd boat strike lol like who believes him? i mean, if ur gonna say it out loud u gotta own it and now congress is all up in arms about transparency and it's kinda cool to see them stand up for what they think is right even tho it's a bit messy. the vids of those strikes are like super damning evidence of whats goin on down there so i hope they release 'em already pls

I think this whole thing just shows how quickly politics can change. Like, one day you're saying we'll release the video and the next, you're walking back on it. It's kinda like when you're having a conversation with someone and they say something, but then they take it back because maybe what they said wasn't exactly what they meant .

And I get why there are still some people who don't want to release the video - I mean, we all know how sensitive these situations can be. But at the same time, transparency is important, right? It's like when you're working on a project and someone asks you for updates, you gotta give 'em the info they need .

This whole situation just highlights how hard it can be to get people to agree on things in Washington . Maybe we'll see some changes come out of this compromise bill, or maybe not. Either way, I think more transparency would be a good thing here

I'm kinda surprised Trump went back on his statement about releasing that video. It does seem weird that he just changed his mind like that, especially with Congress breathing down his neck about it. The Pentagon's footage could be super valuable in understanding what happened during those strikes... but at the same time, are we really ready for that kind of transparency? I mean, 80 deaths is a big deal and people have some serious concerns about how it went down

I'm kinda shocked by this latest development . It seems like Trump's flip-flop has only added fuel to the fire. I mean, if he didn't actually support releasing the video in the first place, why did he even make that statement? It's all so confusing . And now Congress is trying to hold the Pentagon accountable for their actions? That's not a bad thing at all! Transparency is key, especially when it comes to something as serious as drone strikes and civilian casualties . I hope they get to the bottom of this and release the footage unedited – we need to know what's really going on over there .

omg u guys, can we talk about the format of this news article? it's all over the place! first it's like "President Trump Walks Back Support" and then suddenly he never voiced support for releasing the video... i need a timeline or something! and what's with the multiple sentences in a row? it's so hard to read! can't they use subheadings or clear headings like "Trump Claims He Never Made Those Comments"? and btw, 80 deaths is a lot of people... shouldn't we be focusing on that instead of Trump's backtracking?

I'm kinda confused about this whole thing, you know? President Trump is like "I never said that" and then suddenly he's saying it was up to someone else... Like what's going on here? And meanwhile, Congress is all like "Hey, we want to see the footage!" And now they're trying to withhold some guy's travel budget as a deal... It just feels like there's a lot of drama around this one strike that happened in September. What do people really think about it? Should the Pentagon release the video or not?

I feel like there's been a lot of heat on this issue lately . Both sides are passionate about it, but let's take a deep breath and try to understand each other's perspectives. I get that some people think the Pentagon should release the footage, while others believe it could compromise operational security or put lives at risk. What if we focus on finding common ground? Maybe there's a way for the Pentagon to release edited clips without compromising their goals . It's not about one side being right or wrong; let's just try to find a solution that works for everyone .

can't believe trump's flip flop on this one , first he says we'd release the vid, now he says it's up to hegseth... what's going on here? this whole thing just feels super secretive and shady... all these deaths in the caribbean and no transparency from the pentagon is not okay congress needs to keep pushing for answers.

Man, this whole thing is just really weird . Like, I don't know what's going on with Trump and his words. One minute he's all "we should release it", the next he's saying he never said that . It's like, can we just get some clarity here? And what's up with Congress trying to withhold Hegseth's travel budget over this? Like, I get why they're concerned about transparency, but withholding someone's pay? That's not exactly a constructive solution .

I guess it just goes to show how divided people are on this issue . Some folks think the strikes are justified, while others think they're unjustified. And honestly, I think we should all just try to listen to each other and have a calm conversation about it . No need for drama or shouting matches . Can't we all just get along?

omg u guys cant believe what trumps doin rn he literally walks back on his own words like 2 sec ago and now hes sayin its up to hegseth what happens lol idk whats goin on in that head of his but it sounds super suspicious tbh . i mean if he really didnt say those things why would hegseth even decline 2 release the footage ? its like they r both playin some kinda game and were the public the pawns . and meanwhile congress is just trying to keep track of all this drama . its getting outta hand fam

Dude, I'm so confused ... like, President Trump is all over the place on this one. First he says yeah, we should release the video, and then suddenly he's all "nope, I never said that". It's like, what's good, Mr. President? You can't just back down from something like this. Congress is already getting all up in arms about it, and now they're threatening to cut off travel funds if they don't get the footage. This whole thing is super shady . I mean, 80 deaths since September... that's a lot of lives lost. We need to know what's going on here.

can't believe trump is backing out on this one like, what changed his mind? and why can't we just get the deets about these strikes? 80+ deaths in the pacific and caribbean and we're still not getting anything concrete from the pentagon... meanwhile congress is all over it, trying to get some transparency and accountability i think it's wild that republicans are defending this strike though - what exactly is being done to stop these boat attacks? we need answers

I'm totally buying that Trump just changed his mind about releasing the video... like, what's up with that? If he really never said it, then why did he say it in the first place? And now, Congress is trying to hold him accountable by withholding part of Hegseth's travel budget? That's some serious oversight right there. It's kinda wild how much drama can come from one simple statement... or lack thereof.

I'm not surprised by this sudden change of heart from Trump... it feels like he's been caught off guard and is trying to wriggle out of it . But what really gets me is that Congress is now calling for transparency, yet they're still playing hardball over the footage release . It's all about control and keeping secrets. The strikes have already had a devastating impact on so many lives, and I just wish we could see the truth without all the drama . Maybe it's time for some real accountability instead of just finger-pointing?

I'm kinda surprised that Trump changed his mind about releasing the video . I mean, he did say "no problem" last week, so it feels like it was just a matter of time before he caved to pressure from Congress . Now, I'm not sure what's more concerning - the fact that we're even debating whether or not to release footage of military strikes or the fact that these strikes have resulted in over 80 deaths . The whole thing just feels like a mess. As for Hegseth declining to commit to releasing the footage, it's pretty clear who's really calling the shots here . Still, I guess this is one step closer to transparency... for now .