Trump’s “Fentanyl WMD” Order, Crisis Misinformation, and a Weekend of Walk-Backs
Fentanyl rebranded as “WMD,” shifting claims in a campus shooting, an ugly post after a family killing, and courts pushing back.
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TL;DR
The Trump administration drove a national narrative built on escalation and confusion: Trump signed an executive order labeling fentanyl a “weapon of mass destruction,” while officials posted premature or changing claims during the Brown University shooting investigation. Trump then attacked filmmaker Rob Reiner after Reiner and his wife were killed, drawing bipartisan condemnation. Separately, Trump filed a lawsuit seeking $10 billion from the BBC, and courts continued ruling against the administration in immigration bond-hearing litigation.
Monday in the Oval Office: fentanyl as “WMD”
On Monday, Trump signed an executive order titled “Designating Fentanyl as a Weapon of Mass Destruction,” formally declaring illicit fentanyl and its core precursor chemicals to be “Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD).” In the text, the White House argues fentanyl is “closer to a chemical weapon than a narcotic,” using WMD framing that’s more commonly associated with chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear threats than with controlled substances. White House EO
The order directs DOJ to pursue fentanyl trafficking prosecutions, contemplates DoD resources supporting DOJ enforcement, and instructs DHS to identify fentanyl threat networks using “WMD and nonproliferation, related threat intelligence.” Reuters reported the classification empowers the Pentagon to assist law enforcement and allows intelligence agencies to deploy tools “normally reserved for countering weapons proliferation” against traffickers. Reuters | The White House
Officials can’t keep their stories straight
Saturday afternoon, a shooting at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island killed two students and wounded nine others. Reuters
In the hours after:
The White House’s X account said, “The suspect is in custody,” even as the situation was still unfolding. White House post on X
Investigators later renewed the manhunt and released the detained “person of interest,” with Rhode Island’s attorney general saying there was “no basis” to keep treating him as a person of interest and that the investigation had moved “in a different direction.” Reuters
Reuters previously reported FBI Director Kash Patel drew scrutiny after posting that “the subject” in Charlie Kirk’s fatal shooting was “in custody,” before local officials clarified no suspect was in custody, fueling hours of confusion. Reuters
When official accounts publish certainty before facts are verified, families get whiplash, the public’s trust erodes, and crisis communication turns into a credibility deficit.
Why or why not?
From bad to unconscionable
Then Trump did something that drew condemnation across political lines.
Filmmaker Rob Reiner and his wife Michele Singer Reiner were found stabbed to death at their Los Angeles home, and authorities arrested their son Nick Reiner in connection with the killings. ABC News
Trump responded with a political attack, posting (without evidence) that Reiner’s outspoken opposition to him was connected to the tragedy, language that multiple outlets reported as an injection of politics into a family killing. The post triggered swift backlash, including from Republicans who called it inappropriate and disrespectful in the context of a murder. Reuters
What does it do to a country when grief gets turned into ammunition?
The courts won’t comply
While this messaging churns, the courts have been ruling on policy.
In litigation challenging the Trump administration’s move to treat large categories of detained immigrants as ineligible for bond hearings, federal courts have repeatedly ordered the government to provide an opportunity to seek release on bond. For example, on Nov. 25, a federal judge issued a nationwide ruling blocking mandatory detention without the chance for a bond hearing. Reuters
Separate from any one ruling, legal analyst Steve Vladeck documented the scale of the emergency litigation “flood” that followed the administration’s July policy shift, summarizing outcomes across hundreds of emergency cases as challengers prevailing in 350 of 362 decisions he reviewed. (This is a compiled litigation snapshot, not a public referendum, but it’s still a striking measure of how consistently courts have rejected the government’s position.) Vladeck
Meanwhile, Trump filed a lawsuit in Florida seeking $10 billion from the BBC over alleged deceptive editing of a Jan. 6 documentary. The BBC had previously apologized for an “error of judgment” but said there’s no legal basis for a defamation claim, and AP reported legal experts have raised major obstacles for Trump’s case in U.S. court (including the high bar for public figures and complications around where/how the documentary was shown). AP
In ~72 hours
Sat, Dec. 13- Brown University shooting: Two students were killed and others were injured in a campus shooting in Providence, Rhode Island. Reuters
Sun, Dec. 14- A “person of interest,” then a release: Police detained a man as a “person of interest,” then later released him as investigators said the case had moved in another direction and the search continued. Reuters
Mon, Dec. 15- Fentanyl rebranded as “WMD”: Trump signed an executive order formally designating illicit fentanyl a “weapon of mass destruction,” an escalation framed as national security. Reuters
Mon, Dec. 15- BBC hit with a $10B lawsuit: Trump filed suit in Florida seeking $10 billion from the BBC over alleged deceptive editing tied to a Jan. 6 documentary. AP
Mon, Dec. 15- A family killing turned into a political attack: After Rob Reiner and his wife were killed and their son was arrested, Trump posted about the deaths in a way that drew widespread condemnation, including from some Republicans. ABC News
Sources & Receipts
Reuters- Trump brands fentanyl a “weapon of mass destruction” Reuters
Reuters- Brown University: person of interest to be released; Patel post noted Reuters
Reuters- Manhunt renewed after release; victims identified Reuters
ABC News- Rob Reiner killing + Trump’s post + backlash ABC News
AP News- Trump sues BBC for $10B; legal hurdles noted AP News
Reuters- Patel scrutiny after inaccurate “in custody” claim in Charlie Kirk case Reuters
Steve Vladeck- court analysis citing “350 of 362” outcomes
Reuters- immigration bond-hearing litigation context American Civil Liberties Union
If one starts w/the assumption that whatever comes out of the White House has an ulterior motive -foster chaos, plausibly deniable suggested action or obfuscation, then what is said isn’t random. It’s be design.
Trump is everything we teach our children not to be. I am never surprised by what he does or says anymore but I am shocked that he still has any supporters at all.