U.S. President Donald Trump. [Reuters Yonhap News]

U.S. President Donald Trump announced on the 8th (local time) that ground attacks targeting drug cartels will soon commence, following maritime operations in the Pacific and Caribbean.

According to AFP and other news outlets, President Trump stated in a one-on-one interview with Fox News aired that evening, "We have knocked out 97% of the drugs coming into our country by sea," and added, "We are now going to start ground attacks related to the cartels."

President Trump commented, "The cartels run Mexico," and said, "It is truly regrettable to watch what is happening in that country (Mexico)."

He continued, "The cartels are taking 250,000, 300,000 lives in the United States every year."

Previously, the Trump administration launched a series of airstrikes against vessels suspected of transporting drugs in the Caribbean.

President Trump's remarks are interpreted as emphasizing the justification for these airstrikes while simultaneously signaling an expansion of targeting to ground objectives in the future.

However, he did not provide specific details regarding this matter.

Regarding what is being called 'Donroism,' a new Monroe Doctrine in the Trump style, he stated, "I did not name it, people are calling it that," adding, "It is basically for the safety of this hemisphere."

He emphasized, "We do not want drugs pouring into our country, and we do not want bad people entering our country, as happened over four years during the Biden administration, which has been the worst presidency in our shameful history."

President Trump also mentioned that Maria Corina Machado, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate and Venezuelan opposition leader, is scheduled to visit Washington D.C. next week.

President Trump said, "I know she is coming sometime next week, and I look forward to meeting and greeting her."

In response to Machado's previous statement that she "wants to share the Nobel Peace Prize with President Trump," he commented, "I know she wants to do that. That would be a great honor."

President Trump has previously openly expressed his desire to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, and some have speculated that the reason he is not supporting Machado as the next leader of Venezuela is because she is a Nobel Peace Prize laureate.

However, Fox News reported that he did not clearly state whether he would accept the award from Machado.

President Trump also continued his self-praise regarding the operation to arrest Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

He added, "They (Venezuela) were excellent. Truly excellent," stating, "I mean, they gave us everything we wanted." This appears to emphasize that the interim government of Venezuela, established after Maduro's arrest, is cooperating with the United States.

He then announced his upcoming meeting with executives from major oil companies at the White House, stating, "The top 14 companies are coming, and they will rebuild the entire oil infrastructure (of Venezuela)."

He directly mentioned and praised Defense Secretary Pete Hegses and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley, who carried out the operation to arrest President Maduro.

President Trump said, "Maduro was in the middle of a fortress, surrounded by thousands of soldiers and crowds. Who can carry out such an operation without a single casualty?" He added, "They did a very good job. It was fantastic."

He also mentioned the Cuban soldiers who were guarding President Maduro, adding, "I don't even want to say how many there were, but they were completely wiped out."

When asked if Cuba could survive without Venezuela's support, President Trump replied, "No," stating, "Cuba is entirely dependent on Venezuela for funding and oil."

Meanwhile, President Trump sent a strong warning message to Iran, where large-scale anti-government protests are currently underway.

He commented, "In the past, they (the Iranian government) shot people mercilessly. They fired machine guns at unarmed people, or dragged them to prison and executed them," and added, "They played rough."

He emphasized, "If they do that again, we will hit them very hard. We have the capability to do so, and we are already prepared."