Credit where credit is due: even in the face of clear-cut success at the southern border, some corners of the mainstream media simply can’t resist twisting the narrative. That’s exactly what happened this week when The Washington Post ran a bafflingly coy story about a significant drop in fentanyl seizures under President Trump’s renewed border policies—choosing to call the development “a mystery” rather than acknowledging the administration’s effective deterrence efforts.
Let’s break this down.
According to the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS), fentanyl seizures—a key metric used to estimate the flow of smuggled opioids—have dropped a staggering 50% since the November election. CIS rightly interprets this as an indication of a broader reduction in fentanyl smuggling activity. And why wouldn’t they? The Trump administration has made border security a central policy pillar, ramping up enforcement, increasing surveillance, and restoring operational control to U.S. authorities.
The Washington ComPost clearly suffers from Trump Derangement Syndrome.
They can’t stand that President Trump’s strong border policies have led to a DECREASE in fentanyl coming into the U.S. pic.twitter.com/iJU4D5LUjq
— Steven Cheung (@StevenCheung47) June 1, 2025
But instead of connecting the dots, The Washington Post took a wildly different route. Their story? Fentanyl seizures are plummeting, but “why” is a mystery. Among the theories floated: ingredient shortages, cartel infighting, alternative smuggling methods, and even a dip in demand. In other words—anything except the possibility that the border is actually more secure.
Even more predictably, the piece pivots to an ominous suggestion: the Trump administration’s budget cuts could supposedly endanger addiction treatment programs and overdose prevention. The implication? Trump might somehow still be the villain in a scenario where fentanyl is, by all accounts, flowing less freely into the U.S.
Fixed it for you @washingtonpost pic.twitter.com/5MAat6uFOy
— Janet USA (@JanetLevinson7) June 2, 2025
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt didn’t let the spin slide. “One of the most ridiculous headlines ever… even by their standards,” she declared, holding up the offending article. Leavitt was crystal clear: the decrease in fentanyl trafficking isn’t a mystery. It’s a direct result of tougher policies, fortified border infrastructure, and a clear message that the days of open-border permissiveness are over.
She also revealed that the administration had provided the Post with detailed explanations behind the drop—but those weren’t included in the story. That’s not just bias—it’s journalistic malpractice. The story wasn’t framed around fact-finding. It was framed around narrative preservation.
.@PressSec slams the Fake News Washington Post: “There is no mystery about why there is a decrease of fentanyl coming into the United States. This Administration’s strong border policies are the reason!” pic.twitter.com/RJlWO7EyWp
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) June 3, 2025
This is the tightrope many media outlets walk today: downplaying any success that doesn’t fit their ideological storyline while conjuring up theoretical disasters to offset the facts. It’s an old tactic—give an inch of credit, then bury it beneath a mountain of speculative doom.
