Sebastian Gorka: Trump Brings Turnaround in U.S. Counterterrorism Policy

Sebastian Gorka, national security advisor to U.S. President Donald Trump, gave a lengthy interview to the American news outlet Breitbart. Gorka emphasized that Trump implemented a 180-degree shift in counterterrorism policy compared to the Biden era.

Sebastian Gorka, National Security Advisor to U.S. President Donald Trump (Photo: AFP)

In the interview, Gorka, pointed out the dramatic shift in U.S. counterterrorism policy since Donald Trump took office compared to the Biden-era approach.

Sebastian Gorka, National Security Advisor to U.S. President Donald Trump  (Photo: Getty Images via AFP)

 Under former President Biden the U.S. essentially only monitored terrorists without taking real action to eliminate them. This, he noted, changed drastically with Donald Trump's inauguration. From his very first days as president, Trump took quick and effective steps to dismantle terrorist strongholds.

Trump prioritized counterterrorism even during his first term, Gorka recalled, citing that although everyone said it was impossible to do, they had effectively destroyed the Islamic State within five months. However, during Biden’s presidency, the terrorist group managed to regroup, and now the situation is far from favorable.

To illustrate the swiftness of Trump's actions, Gorka provided an example from Trump’s second week in office. Intelligence revealed that a key Islamic State financier, recruiter, and trainer was hiding in a cave system in Somalia. While the Biden administration merely observed this individual, Trump immediately approved a military operation, and within 30 hours, the ISIS base was destroyed.

This shows how quickly and decisively President Trump acts when American lives are threatened,

Gorka noted.

The interview, conducted in mid-March but only recently published, highlighted four major areas where Trump took major decisive action early in his presidency, including the Somalia case.

During his election campaign Trump had repeatedly referenced the Kabul airport bombing — an attack that occurred during Biden's botched 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan, claiming the lives of 13 U.S. soldiers. Gorka confirmed that the mastermind behind the attack has now been captured and brought to the U.S.

Further operations include an airstrike on an Iraqi Islamist leader, and perhaps most notably, actions against the Yemeni Houthis. According to Gorka, the Houthi group was responsible for roughly 140 attacks on ships, threatening maritime trade. During the Biden administration, little was done, but Trump ordered airstrikes against them.

“America First” Doesn’t Mean Isolation

Trump is often criticized for being isolationist, but Gorka rejected this claim. He argued that "America First" doesn’t mean acting alone, but rather pursuing U.S. national interests while working with partners. He highlighted the roles of the United Arab Emirates and Jordan in counterterrorism efforts.

On NATO, Gorka said Trump expects allies to act like true partners, stressing: 

the need for NATO member states to increase defense spending in the interest of shared security.

Terrorism in New Forms

Gorka warned that terrorism is resurfacing in new forms, particularly in Africa, where vast ungoverned areas are being exploited by ISIS and al-Qaeda. 

He also pointed to Iran’s ongoing support for proxy groups like Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen.

The security policy advisor called Hezbollah the “crown jewel” of Iran’s proxies, but noted that the covert Israeli pager operation in September 2024 inflicted significant damage on the group.

They haven’t left the game, but their capabilities are severely weakened,

he said.

In any operation, regardless of the target, the two key objectives are to eliminate physical capabilities and to break the enemy’s will to fight. This is exactly what Israel has done,

 Gorka praised Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's policy.

Regarding Syria, Gorka noted that after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s secular Alawite dictatorship, power was seized by a founding member of the terrorist group the al-Nusra Front. In a country that is not even remotely a purely Sunni Muslim, sharia law was introduced, leading to further instability.

If anyone says they know the future of Syria, they're a liar,

Gorka concluded.

Cover photo: Sebastian Gorka, National Security Advisor to U.S. President Donald Trump (Photo: AFP)