JD Vance Jokes About Killing Innocent Fishermen

Vice President JD Vance is facing mounting backlash after joking about deadly U.S. airstrikes in the Caribbean that critics say killed innocent fishermen.

Speaking at a campaign-style event in Howell, Michigan, on Tuesday, Vance grinned as he told supporters about recent conversations with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. “He said there aren’t any more drug boats coming in,” Vance recalled. “I said, ‘I know why!’ Then I added, ‘Hell, I wouldn’t go fishing right now in that area of the world.’” The remark drew scattered laughter—but also swift condemnation from lawmakers and human rights groups.

Fishermen or Cartels? The Truth Still Unclear

Over the past month, President Donald Trump has ordered at least three strikes on small vessels in the Caribbean, claiming they belonged to Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua cartel. Videos of the bombings were later posted on Trump’s Truth Social account with captions such as “America First means America safe.”

But independent observers and Venezuelan officials say at least one of the targeted boats was a civilian fishing vessel. Fourteen people are reported dead, and local families have accused the U.S. of murdering breadwinners who had no ties to drug smuggling.

International law experts point out that maritime drug enforcement typically involves Coast Guard seizures—not aerial bombings. “This is a dangerous precedent,” said Brian Finucane, a former State Department legal adviser. “Killing civilians in international waters without evidence or due process is the textbook definition of a war crime.”

The White House has doubled down. When asked about whether innocent people had been killed, Vance dismissed critics online: “I don’t give a s–t what you call it.”

That statement triggered outrage across the political spectrum. Republican Sen. Rand Paul blasted Vance’s comments as “despicable.” Democratic Sen. Jack Reed, chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, warned that Trump was “acting like an authoritarian strongman, not a commander-in-chief bound by law.”

“No president has the unilateral right to kill civilians in secret and laugh about it later,” Reed said in a statement. “This is a constitutional crisis and a humanitarian disaster waiting to explode.”

Venezuelan officials have accused the Trump administration of “provocations” and warned of retaliation if civilian vessels continue to be targeted. Families of the dead held a candlelight vigil in Caracas last week, holding up photographs of lost relatives and chanting, “We are fishermen, not criminals.”

Trump has brushed off the criticism, telling reporters at the Oval Office, “We shot out a drug boat. Nobody’s tougher on the cartels than me.”

But with Venezuela already in economic and political turmoil, foreign policy analysts fear these strikes could spiral into a regional conflict. “We are inching toward war in the Caribbean,” said Michael Shifter, former president of the Inter-American Dialogue. “The risks of escalation are very real.”

For Democrats, the strikes are emerging as a defining issue ahead of the 2026 midterms. Progressives are framing Trump’s approach as reckless militarism, while moderates warn of a dangerous return to Bush-era “endless wars.”

“This is not about keeping America safe—it’s about feeding Trump’s ego,” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said on MSNBC. “Innocent people are dying, and our vice president is laughing about it.”