Donald Trump will use the New Orleans attack to push his security and border agenda

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Donald Trump and his Republican allies seized on the New Orleans terror attack to incriminate Joe Biden and deliver a final critique of his policies in his final years as president.

The event, at least 15 people died.And the explosion of a Tesla Cybertruck outside a Trump hotel in Las Vegas fueled the Republican narrative that crime is out of control — and that only Trump’s new national security team and immigration crackdown will fix it.

“With Biden’s ‘open border policy’ often at rallies and elsewhere, radical Islamic terrorism and other violent crimes will be so bad in America that it’s hard to even imagine and believe. That time has come, it’s worse than ever.” Trump He wrote on Truth Social on Thursday morning.

Trump and others. Republicans At first, the New Orleans shooter claimed to be an immigrant from the southern border – falsely. The suspect, identified as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, officials say was inspired by the ISIS terrorist group, and the 42-year-old US military veteran from Texas who was killed in the attack worked in financial services, including Accenture. and Deloitte.

On Thursday, the FBI said it acted alone. The agency said there was no connection between the New Orleans attack and the cyber truck blast in Nevada.

But Trump allies still doubled down on Biden’s claims. Immigration Policies — or immigration in general — were behind the violence, echoing the lines of attack Trump deployed in the 2024 US presidential race to defeat Vice President Kamala Harris.

“Islamic terrorism is imported. “It’s not homegrown,” Trump senior adviser Stephen Miller wrote on X. “It was not here before persecution brought it here,” he wrote.

Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, told Fox News that the United States is “lax” on national security and is encouraging groups like ISIS. “President Trump is going to come into office and we’re going to secure that border. We’re going to have a deportation operation. We’re going to focus and prioritize public safety threats and national security threats.”

Republicans close to Trump are also trying to use the attack as part of their campaign to speed up Senate confirmation for some of the president-elect’s top national security jobs.

Trump’s pick for defense secretary Pete Hughes, Tulsi Gabbard for director of national intelligence and Kash Patel to lead the FBI are among the picks that will face a battle for Senate approval in the coming weeks.

“The United States Senate must confirm President Trump’s national security team as soon as possible. John Barrasso, a Republican senator from Wyoming, wrote on X shortly after the attack in Louisiana.

“That’s why it’s so important to bring in President Trump’s cabinet,” Florida Congressman Mike Waltz, who was tapped by Trump to be national security adviser, told Fox News on Thursday. “That should be on the first day, because this is a time, a time of transition, a time of vulnerability.”

Trump allies’ deep suspicion of US federal law enforcement agencies also resurfaced after the New Orleans attack. Lawmakers close to the president-elect have criticized the FBI’s increased focus on “diversity, equity and inclusion” and Trump’s role in prosecuting the Justice Department.

Georgia Republican Mike Collins questioned why FBI Special Agent in New Orleans Alethea Duncan initially thought the attack was not a “terrorist incident.” Iowa Republican Ashley Hinson called on FBI Director Christopher Wynne and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to testify before Congress about the attack.

“The FBI must regain the trust of the American people. This means full transparency and accountability during this investigation. It also means getting rid of DEI and eliminating distractions and focusing solely on preventing threats to protect Americans, Hinson wrote on Thursday at X.

Biden spoke about the attack in New Orleans on Wednesday and the investigation from Camp David, and gathered his homeland security team to discuss the latest developments on Thursday.

On Trump’s side, Walt met with Biden’s national security adviser, Jack Sullivan, but said he was not counting on the incumbent administration.

“They’re trying to piece together information. But we’re not expecting what we’re going to get from this White House. President Trump has put everyone out there to give us as much information as possible.”