In one year, Trump pivots fentanyl response from public health to drug war

President Donald Trump poses with a recently signed executive order classifying fentanyl as a "weapon of mass destruction," during a ceremony in the Oval Office of the White House on December 15, 2025 in Washington, D.C.

Experts say Biden's focus on addiction health care saved tens of thousands of lives and slowed fentanyl smuggling. Trump scrapped Biden's approach in favor of military strikes.

(Image credit: Anna Moneymaker)