Trump pledges to battle drug cartels, combat fentanyl crisis if re-elected in 2024

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US lawmakers urge Biden administration to take stronger action to curb fentanyl crisis

Fox News congressional correspondent Aishah Hasnie has the latest on an alleged drone strike attack at the Kremlin and lawmakers' concerns about fentanyl and artificial intelligence on 'Special Report.' 

FIRST ON FOX: Former President Trump said he would deploy military assets to fight the fentanyl crisis and "inflict maximum damage" on cartel operations if elected in 2024, and he would seek the death penalty to convicted drug dealers and human traffickers.

Trump outlined his proposed policies for ending drug addiction in America in a new campaign video obtained by Fox News Digital on Thursday.

"For three decades before my election, drug overdose deaths increased every single year. Under my leadership, we took the drug and fentanyl crisis head on, and we achieved the first reduction in overdose deaths in more than 30 years," Trump said in the video.

"Sadly, under Joe Biden, our hard-won progress has been surrendered, along with the surrender of our southern border — such a shame," Trump continued. "Now, fentanyl and other ultra-deadly poisons are pouring into our country unchecked — stealing more than 100,000 American lives every single year."

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Former President Trump is promising to take tough new steps against drug cartels if elected president again in 2024. (SUZANNE CORDEIRO/AFP via Getty Images)

Trump slammed Biden, saying his record is "one of death, destruction and misery in communities across our nation."

"When I am back in the White House, I will take action on day one to end this horrific plague and save American lives," he said. "Joe Biden will never solve the drug overdose crisis because he is actively destroying our border."

Trump said he would impose a full naval embargo on drug cartels and would deploy military assets to take on cartel operations, while insisting on the "full cooperation" of neighboring governments to "dismantle" the trafficking and smuggling network in the region.

In addition to pushing Congress to impose the death penalty on drug dealers and human traffickers, he said he would direct U.S. federal law enforcement to take down gangs and organized street crime that distribute deadly narcotics at the local level.

"They are killing our people, they are poisoning our beautiful children," Trump said. He said he would permanently designate fentanyl as a federally controlled substance, and warned China that it would "pay a steep price" if it does not "clamp down" on the export of fentanyl chemical precursors.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents seized over 1.2 million fentanyl pills between two busts on Dec. 29. (U.S. Customs and Border Protection)

"I had a deal worked out with President Xi," Trump said. "They weren’t going to be sending any more, and they were going to impose the death penalty on those that made it in China."

During his administration, Trump negotiated a deal with Beijing to crack down on the production of those precursors. Trump slammed President Biden for walking away from that agreement.

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"Attacking the supply of these deadly drugs will be just the beginning," Trump said, adding that he would help to "strengthen the pillars that give life meaning and hope for those struggling with addiction — in particular work, faith, and family."

Trump’s proposal includes the expansion of federal support for faith-based counseling, treatment and recovery programs for drug users. He said he recognizes "that we are going to need God’s help to steer our country out of this crisis."

Trump also proposed that any parent, child, spouse or relative who needs to take time to care for a family member fighting to overcome addiction can "take advantage" of a family leave program.

"My administration will support measures to make it easier for those suffering from addiction to seek treatment without losing their job," Trump said.

A billboard put up by Families Against Fentanyl near Peck Road in El Monte, California, on Thursday, April 6, 2023. Jim Rauh founded Families Against Fentanyl after the substance claimed the life of his 37-year-old son, Thomas, in 2015. (Photo by Paul Bersebach/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images)

"When I am president, we will not rest until we have ended the drug addiction crisis in America," he said. "We will win. It will happen. We have to win, though, in 2024, because our country is going to hell."

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Trump’s plan builds on the actions taken during his administration to combat the drug crisis in America.

In 2017, Trump declared the opioid epidemic a public health emergency and launched the Initiative to Stop Opioid Abuse and Reduce Drug Supply and Demand.

Fentanyl seized in Nogales, Arizona. Border agents and officers seized more than 1,900 pounds of the illicit drug last year. (CBP)

According to officials, the amount of fentanyl seized at the border more than tripled from 2020 to 2022. Fentanyl deaths in the U.S. have increased 94% since 2019, and is now the leading cause of death for Americans ages 18 to 45.

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Trump campaign officials are pointing to President Biden’s record, saying that due to the "wide-open border," hundreds of thousands of pounds of "deadly drugs are now pouring" into the U.S.