‘The Trump Effect’ in the age of terrorism

Multiple times over the last four years, former President Donald Trump warned that the threat of terrorism was real and was rising. In October 2023, after noting that hundreds of individuals on the terror watch list — officially designated the Terrorist Screening Dataset — had been arrested at the border while potentially thousands had entered our country along with the millions of illegal immigrants purposely let in by the Biden-Harris administration, Trump rightfully asked, “What has happened to our country?”

In September 2024, Rep. August Pfluger (R-Texas), chair of the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Counterterrorism, Law Enforcement and Intelligence, said, “The Biden-Harris administration has intentionally left us vulnerable.” The congressman then correctly noted that “experts estimate that nearly 2 million individuals have evaded arrest by CBP [U.S. Customs and Border Protection] officials and are known to be ‘gotaways’ … If we know that nearly 2 million individuals are considered ‘gotaways,’ how many of these individuals also appear on the terror watch list?”

How many indeed. Thousands is a realistic guess.

Like Israel in October 2023, have those in charge of our defense against terrorism taken their eyes off the ball to engage in petty, self-destructive and potentially illegal partisan politics? One person certainly believes that to be so: President-elect Trump.

After the horrific terrorist attack in New Orleans, Trump pos t ed on Truth Social: “The DOJ, FBI, and Democrat state and local prosecutors have not done their job. They are incompetent and corrupt, having spent all of their waking hours unlawfully attacking their political opponent, ME, rather than focusing on protecting Americans from the outside and inside violent SCUM that has infiltrated all aspects of our government, and our Nation itself. Democrats should be ashamed of themselves for allowing this to happen to our Country…Only strength and powerful leadership will stop it. See you on January 20th. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”

With regard to the Biden-Harris Justice Department, FBI, CIA and rest of the “deep state,” Trump is absolutely correct. For years, some in those organizations seemingly weaponized themselves in a coordinated effort to deny Trump the presidency via “lawfare,” an armed raid on his Florida home, misinformation and harassment.

When Trump’s nominees for the FBI, CIA, the Department of Defense and director of National Intelligence take office, it will prove quite illuminating to find out exactly how many man-hours, resources and millions in tax-payer money was diverted from the mission of protecting our homeland and its citizens in the attempt to bring Trump down.

For the last number of years, many on the left have been consumed with pronouns, wealth redistribution, defunding the police, freeing criminals, climate change and the destruction of fossil fuels — all while vilifying Trump.

Terrorism and the mass killing of Americans was not on their list of things to worry about or spin. Trump won such a decisive victory in November because a many voters once loyal to the Democratic Party came to the conclusion that the party, Biden and then Harris were pushing those issues nonstop, while ignoring real quality-of-life issues such as crime, inflation, massive illegal immigration, failing schools, failing cities, job loss, sky-rocketing health care costs, rent and new home prices — and, oh yes, the specter of terrorism and World War III.

As soon as the war broke out in Ukraine, Trump began to warn that it could easily trigger a nuclear weapons strike. During a radio interview in September 2022, he was asked by host John Catsimatidis what things “keep you up at night.”

The former president answered, “I think more than anything else, I think we could end up in World War III and it could be all of the horrible things that took place in Ukraine.” While the vast majority of the media minimized or dismissed that fear as the Biden-Harris White House sent hundreds of billions in cash and weapons systems into Ukraine, a small but growing percentage of Americans — and countless non-Americans overseas — were homing in on Trump’s voice. Be it on that subject and others directly related to their quality of life.

During Christmas week, Trump alluded to that reality on Truth Social: “All over the world, they are calling it THE TRUMP EFFECT, because even before taking office, we are already bringing jobs, opportunity, safety, and Common Sense back to the USA!... Standing before you today, I can proudly proclaim that the GOLDEN AGE OF AMERICA IS UPON US!... My administration will live by the motto ‘Promises Made, Promises KEPT.’”

Those who are supporting Trump in growing numbers also believe “the Trump Effect” will deal directly with terrorism and the rising risk of a world war.

The terrorist attack in New Orleans serves as a stark and ongoing reminder that the U.S. will always remain a target of those who mean to eradicate our way of life. Our sovereign border, our national security and our personal security have gotten irrefutably worse over the last four years. One of the main reasons was that — to the point made by Trump — some in the security state have seemingly chosen partisanship and irrational hate over duty.

“The Trump Effect” will seek to reverse that self-destructive trend before the next major terrorist shoe drops in an unprotected American city.

Douglas MacKinnon is a former White House and Pentagon official.

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