U.S. President Donald Trump has incorrectly claimed that 300 million people died from drugs last year, when the entire population of the U.S. is estimated to be 340 million.
Trump was speaking to reporters on Sunday when he was questioned about Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s comments calling a U.S. strike on a vessel in international waters illegal.
Highlights
- Donald Trump falsely claimed 300 million people died from drugs last year, when the entire U.S. population is 340 million.
- The U.S. military conducted strikes against Venezuelan drug traffickers on Sept 2 and Sept 15, killing 14 alleged narcoterrorists in total.
- CDC data shows 80,391 drug overdose deaths in the U.S. in 2024, far below Trump's claim of 300 million deaths.
The U.S. military conducted a strike against alleged Tren de Aragua gang members allegedly transporting drugs on a boat on September 2.
Donald Trump claimed 300 million people died from drugs
Image credits: Win McNamee/Getty Images
“Earlier this morning, on my Orders, US Military Forces conducted a kinetic strike against positively identified Tren de Aragua Narcoterrorists in the SOUTHCOM area of responsibility,” Trump said on Truth Social at the time.
“The strike resulted in 11 terrorists killed in action. No US Forces were harmed in this strike. Please let this serve as notice to anybody even thinking about bringing drugs into the United States of America. BEWARE!”
Asked about Maduro’s response to the strike on Sunday, Trump replied, “What’s illegal are the drugs that were on the boat, and the drugs that are being sent into our country, and the fact that 300 million people died last year from drugs, that’s what’s illegal.”
The entire population of the U.S. is estimated to be 340 million.
His comments came one day before a second strike against alleged drug traffickers from Venezuela.
Trump posted details of the operation on Truth Social on Monday and shared a short clip that showed a vessel being blown up.
Three people were killed in the strike.
“The Strike occurred while these confirmed narcoterrorists from Venezuela were in International Waters transporting illegal narcotics (A DEADLY WEAPON POISONING AMERICANS!) headed to the U.S,” Trump wrote.
“These extremely violent drug trafficking cartels POSE A THREAT to U.S. National Security, Foreign Policy, and vital U.S. Interests.”
He added: “BE WARNED — IF YOU ARE TRANSPORTING DRUGS THAT CAN KILL AMERICANS, WE ARE HUNTING YOU! The illicit activities by these cartels have wrought DEVASTATING CONSEQUENCES ON AMERICAN COMMUNITIES FOR DECADES, killing millions of American Citizens. NO LONGER.”
Provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicates there were an estimated 80,391 drug overdose deaths in the U.S. during 2024.
Deaths across the globe, from all causes, were estimated to be 62 million in 2024.
Trump was previously quoted as saying that 300,000 Americans died from drugs in the past year. Again, the CDC estimates the figure to be less than 90,000.
The clip of Trump claiming there were 300 million drug deaths was widely shared on social media and criticized.
Barry Markson, KTAR legal analyst, shared the video, writing, “Trump lies like we breathe. Yesterday, he said 300 million people died from drugs.
“He was referring to people in the USA. Our population is 340 million. I think I would have noticed that. Also, there were a total of 62 million deaths in the world last year.”
There were an estimated 80,391 drug overdose deaths in the U.S. during 2024
Image credits: Spencer Platt/Getty Images
“Trump is a liar. I don't know how anyone takes him seriously or believes a word he says.”
California congressional hopeful Eric Garcia also shared the clip, posting, “Almost the entire US population died from drugs last year!!!! Someone who loves this man needs to get him the help he needs.”
A short while before Monday’s strike, Maduro said at a press conference that relations between the U.S. and Venezuela were “completely broken.”
He described the U.S. actions as “aggression all down the line, it’s a police aggression … a political aggression, a diplomatic aggression, and an ongoing aggression of military character.”
Image credits: Alfredo Lasry R/Getty Images
“The communications with the government of the U.S. are thrown away. They are thrown away by them with their threats of bombs, death and blackmail,” Maduro added.
After the first strike on September 2, Maduro deployed two F-16 fighter jets to fly near a U.S. Navy destroyer sailing in international waters in the Caribbean.
The Pentagon denounced it as a “highly provocative move” and Trump warned that Venezuelan jets that “put us in a dangerous situation” would be shot down.
In August, the U.S. announced a $50 million reward for any information leading to the arrest and capture of Maduro, describing him as “one of the largest narco-traffickers in the world.”