POLISCOPE
Back to feed
NewsNY Post PoliticsMay 6, 2026United States

New 'America First' National Counterterrorism Strategy

President Trump has signed a new 16-page national counterterrorism strategy that prioritizes dismantling threats from drug cartels, Islamist terror groups, and domestic political extremists. The policy emphasizes aggressive pre-emptive action, financial sanctions, and the use of law enforcement tools to identify and disrupt violent actors before attacks occur.

counterterrorismnational securitydrug cartelsdomestic extremismforeign policy
Read the full story at NY Post Politics

Why It Matters

This strategy shifts federal counterterrorism priorities to include drug cartels as primary hemispheric threats and expands domestic surveillance and law enforcement focus on political groups deemed violent.

Key Facts

  • The strategy prioritizes the 'neutralization of hemispheric terror threats,' specifically targeting drug cartels.
  • The administration plans to expand the use of Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) designations against cartels to restrict their financing and logistics.
  • The policy targets 'violent secular political groups' within the U.S., including Antifa, for mapping and membership identification.
  • The strategy maintains a focus on the 'top five' Islamist jihadi groups, including al Qaeda, AQAP, and ISIS-K.
  • The administration asserts a 72-hour response window to kill or arrest known threats plotting against Americans.
  • The strategy identifies the acquisition of weapons of mass destruction (nuclear or radiological) as the most dangerous threat to the U.S.
  • The policy emphasizes combating online radicalization and lone-actor threats inspired via social media.
  • The strategy aims to use financial tools, including sanctions, to disrupt terror networks.

Who's Mentioned

organizationISIS“Identified as a top Islamist jihadi group targeted by the strategy.”personSebastian Gorka“Deputy assistant to the president who outlined the strategy.”organizational Qaeda“Identified as a top Islamist jihadi group targeted by the strategy.”personDonald Trump“President of the United States who signed the strategy.”organizationAntifa“Cited as an example of a violent secular political group targeted by the strateg”