For decades, the United States' counterterrorism policy has focused on combatting foreign terrorism, but the country has seen a steady uptick in homegrown terrorist acts, particularly from far-right extremists. Just last year, the Department of Homeland Security warned that white supremacist terrorism was "the most persistent and lethal threat in the Homeland[.]"
That same report emphasized the prevalence of white supremacist terrorism in another section:
"We judge that ideologically-motivated lone offenders and small groups will pose the greatest terrorist threat to the Homeland through 2021, with white supremacist extremists presenting the most lethal threat."
President Joe Biden recently reiterated the Homeland Security Department's concerns in a recent speech commemorating the 1921 Black Wall Street Massacre in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Biden said:
"[A]ccording to the intelligence community, terrorism from white supremacy is the most lethal threat to the homeland today, not ISIS, not Al-Qaeda, white supremacists."
This immediately drew criticism from right-wing media personalities like far-right Fox News host Tucker Carlson, who falsely accused him of calling white Republican men "more dangerous than ISIS."
Fortunately, it doesn't look like the Biden administration paid Carlson's words much heed, because the White House unveiled its national strategy for combatting terrorism this week, and it represents a major departure from Biden's predecessors.
Domestic terrorism is a stain on the soul of our nation, and a threat to our democracy \u2014 we need to confront its rise head-on. That\u2019s why my Administration is releasing the first-ever National Strategy for Countering Domestic Terrorism.https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/06/15/fact-sheet-national-strategy-for-countering-domestic-terrorism/\u00a0\u2026— President Biden (@President Biden) 1623789355
The 32 page plan relies on four key goals: expediting the sharing of information across various law enforcement agencies, investigating extremist organizations, hindering their recruitment, and addressing the root causes of domestic terrorism in the first place.
Biden said in the plan:
"We cannot ignore this threat or wish it away. Preventing domestic terrorism and reducing the factors that fuel it demand a multifaceted response across the federal government and beyond."
People welcomed the change in strategy.
Much needed effort; better late than never. Hopefully the cottage industry of security studies will catch up! #research #DomesticTerrorism #USAhttps://twitter.com/potus/status/1404900498084405252\u00a0\u2026— Sabith (@Sabith) 1623848648
We finally have an administration that wants to FIGHT domestic terrorism, rather than FUEL domestic terrorism.— Miles Taylor (@Miles Taylor) 1623787748
Overdue, but welcome. \u201cViolent, far-right extremists have posed the deadliest and most active domestic terror threat for more than 15 yrs.\u201dhttps://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/biden-strategy-domestic-extremism/2021/06/14/d88250c8-cd4e-11eb-9b7e-e06f6cfdece8_story.html\u00a0\u2026— Sherrilyn Ifill (@Sherrilyn Ifill) 1623789944
Good.https://twitter.com/POTUS/status/1404900498084405252\u00a0\u2026— Mushtaque Ali Khan (@Mushtaque Ali Khan) 1623806858
Bravo, finally calling it what it is. Now if we could only get the law to do the same.https://twitter.com/potus/status/1404900498084405252\u00a0\u2026— Ryan Dhookaran (@Ryan Dhookaran) 1623789464
Shoutout to the focus on white nationalism, actually pretty ok with this one https://twitter.com/POTUS/status/1404900498084405252\u00a0\u2026— live* laugh** love*** (@live* laugh** love***) 1623789901
Thank you, Mr. President. My late father who is in heaven, a shoemaker by trade used to say that the enemy within is always more dangerous.https://twitter.com/POTUS/status/1404900498084405252\u00a0\u2026— Jonas Tomaz de Aquin (@Jonas Tomaz de Aquin) 1623789669
Some could think of one guy the administration's domestic terror specialist may want to keep an eye on.
Tucker Carlson should be arrested and charged with domestic terrorismhttps://twitter.com/Acyn/status/1405316811415953410\u00a0\u2026— Neil (@Neil) 1623888944
Tucker Carlson is a domestic terrorist.\n\u201cUnder Federal law, \u201cdomestic terrorism\u201d is defined as \u201cactivities that involve acts dangerous to human life; appear to be intended to intimidate or coerce a civilian population, to influence the policy of a gov\u2019t\u2026\u201d\nhttps://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/06/15/fact-sheet-national-strategy-for-countering-domestic-terrorism/\u00a0\u2026pic.twitter.com/nbde0rVBvt— Neal Henderson (@Neal Henderson) 1623897534
Perhaps the FBI needs to label Tucker Carlson\u2019s Show as Domestic Terrorism!\n\nConservatives follow Fox News' Tucker Carlson to baselessly claim FBI was behind Capitol riothttps://a.msn.com/01/en-us/AAL7GYW?ocid=st\u00a0\u2026— Susan Leihy (@Susan Leihy) 1623918410
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