Top Trump administration officials identified fentanyl and international drug cartels as the greatest threat to U.S. national security, citing over 54,000 U.S. deaths from synthetic opioids in 2024.
The Intelligence Community’s 2025 threat assessment echoed this, linking cartels to 52,000 deaths. The Trump administration prioritized fentanyl, even over threats from Iran, North Korea, and Russia. Cartels, using chemicals from China, were blamed for fueling the opioid crisis, with some U.S. officials calling for military action against them.
