Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) is pushing the idea that America needs to go to war over an attack in New Orleans. He’s furious that the media and the FBI aren’t calling it an “ISIS attack” and is insisting that what happened on New Year’s Eve isn’t just a crime, but an act of war.
In a fiery post on the social media platform X, Graham blasted the media for how the attack was being covered, insisting it should be recognized as part of the broader war on radical Islamic terrorism. The incident, in which Texas-born U.S. Army veteran Shamsud-Din Jabbar drove into a crowd on Bourbon Street, was later confirmed to be ISIS-inspired. An ISIS flag was found in Jabbar’s vehicle, and the FBI confirmed the attack was motivated by the terrorist group.
Graham was quick to accuse the media of downplaying the seriousness of the attack, calling it “barbaric” and “cowardly.” He argued that by treating such incidents as ordinary crimes rather than acts of war, the country is failing to acknowledge the true threat posed by ISIS and other radical groups. According to Graham, these ISIS-inspired attacks should not be categorized as “criminal events,” but as acts of war that require a military response.
“The coverage suggests we’re fighting a crime and that ISIS-inspired attacks are mere criminal events, not part of the larger war on terrorism,” Graham wrote. “It is now time for America to realize that radical Islamic-directed or inspired attacks are acts of war, not part of a criminal enterprise.”
“The tools designed to protect America in a time of war are being underutilized,” he continued, adding that he hopes “President Trump will realize this key distinction” and pushes for military action.
Graham’s comments came in the wake of the New Orleans attack and another incident in Las Vegas, where a former U.S. Army soldier drove a Cybertruck into an explosive device outside the Trump International Hotel. While the FBI and local authorities are still investigating any possible connection between the two attacks, Graham and other Republicans have already drawn a line between the incidents and radical Islamic terror.
