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The heinous act of terrorism that occurred in New Orleans early on New Year's Day underscores the Biden administration's abject failure to keep America safe and deter extremist Islamic terrorism. By allowing the focus to be on this continuing threat to American national security, and instead wasting time and resources attacking political opponents, parents who attend school board meetings and Catholics, the Biden team has left America vulnerable. It will be up to the incoming Trump administration to fix this mess and keep Americans safe.
In January 2017, when we in the Trump administration took office, he… The Islamic State (ISIS) took control. A huge piece of Syria and was expanding its vision of radical Islam on a global scale. Two Americans were beheaded during the Obama-Biden administration.
It took a serious president to effectively dismantle that caliphate alongside partners and allies, as well as bring down the group The threat of extremist Islamic terrorism At home and abroad. By the end of our time in office, we had done just that: the ISIS caliphate was over, and the threat of extremist Islamic terrorism within our homeland was greatly reduced.
6 times ISIS inspired terrorist attacks on American soil
Over the past four years, we have witnessed a complete abdication of this responsibility in the White House, leading to a dangerous resurgence of this threat. Instead of combating radical Islamic terrorism at home and abroad, Biden downplayed this threat in favor of imagined political threats and allowed real threats to spread, culminating in the New Orleans attack.
A memorial to those killed in the New Year's Eve attack is left on Bourbon Street after the street reopens in New Orleans, Louisiana on Friday, January 3, 2025. At least 15 people were killed and dozens injured after a man plowed his car into crowds celebrating New Year's Eve on Bourbon Street on Wednesday. (Kat Ramirez for Fox News Digital)
His administration has allowed Afghanistan to fall into the hands of the Taliban, allowed Iran and its proxies to flourish and commit the October 7 massacre, and has failed to address the growing threat of radical Islamic terrorism here at home. This empowered our enemies and weakened America.
Worse still, this administration has allowed political ideology to undermine basic American national security imperatives. For four years, we've watched this administration call “alt-right” groups and even their supporters “alt-right.” President-elect Donald Trump The greatest threat to American democracy, and all who barely raised a finger when protesters waved Hamas and ISIS flags in city streets and college campuses in the wake of the horrific October 7 attacks.
For four years, our wide-open borders have allowed extremists, with ties to groups like ISIS, to cross into our country without restrictions, enhancing their ability to plan and execute attacks and strengthening their radicalization efforts. By treating counterterrorism as another political weapon or a tool to advance the ideology of vigilantism, the Biden team has left a gap in our national security apparatus that actors like ISIS have eagerly exploited.
In the wake of the New Orleans attack, we have unfortunately seen even more lack of seriousness. First, the FBI said the suspect did not act alone, but now it has reversed course and said he acted alone. Let's be clear: The idea that this person acted alone is ridiculous on its face. He may have carried out this particular attack alone, but these unfortunate actions never occur in a vacuum.
The idea of a “lone wolf” is itself a fantasy. Whether or not his associates were helping him on the night of the attack, or even planning it, this terrorist was part of a gang of Islamists radicalized to attack America, and he was not stopped.
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For the FBI to now say it acted alone demonstrates either the continuing influence of a distorted political agenda, or a complete misunderstanding of the depth and complexity of ISIS operations within the United States. Every measure must be taken to find out how and where this person was radicalized so that the next attack can be predicted or prevented.
Correcting these gaps in our national security is urgent and must be a priority for the incoming Trump administration. In response to the growing terrorist threat, the task is not just for the American people to radically change the way they live their lives. This will be a victory for the Islamists.
For four years, our wide-open borders have allowed extremists, with ties to groups like ISIS, to cross into our country without restrictions, enhancing their ability to plan and execute attacks and strengthening their radicalization efforts.
Instead, it is up to the responsible agencies – the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security, as well as state and local law enforcement agencies – to recognize the threat posed by radical Islamic terrorism and take appropriate steps to reduce and eliminate it.
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Last May, the FBI tweeted that diversity was a top priority for the agency; The safety and security of every American should be our top priority. Fortunately, there could not be a better leader entering the White House to fix the mess created by President Joe Biden. Having served as Director of the CIA and Secretary of State under President Trump, I know he will take every action to eliminate this threat to the American people within our borders and globally, just as we did during his first term.
Most importantly, it will move the focus of our law enforcement and national security agencies away from domestic political opponents, DEI and vigilantes to where they belong: on eliminating despicable individuals who wish to harm innocent Americans.
