Our forces have killed 815 jihadis in 14 months. We’re back. We are back in the business of counterterrorism. — Sebastian Gorka
On Episode 5 of The Homeland, host Dean Cain sits down with Sebastian Gorka, Deputy Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Counterterrorism, in Washington, D.C. What follows is a classified-turned-public accounting of how the Trump administration has restructured American counterterrorism from the ground up, delivered the most consequential national security document in a generation, and begun executing it at a pace the Washington establishment cannot match.
Gorka opens by acknowledging the weight of the moment. After nearly 30 years of teaching counterterrorism to the military, intelligence community, and special operations forces, he watched President Trump sign the 16-page U.S. National Counterterrorism Strategy, a document Gorka describes as “a summary of my life’s work.” But the signing, he makes clear, was only the beginning. Now comes implementation.
Ripping Politics Out of Counterterrorism
The strategy’s priority is the elimination of political weaponization within national security. Gorka details how the prior administration used counterterrorism tools against political opponents: armed FBI agents raiding a former president’s home, Tulsi Gabbard placed on a terrorist no-fly list for working with President Trump, and Catholics in Richmond, Virginia targeted for attending Latin Mass. Gorka himself was targeted by the January 6th committee, with phone records of his wife and children surrendered without cause.
The new strategy draws a hard line. The awesome power of counterterrorism will not be permitted to serve partisan politics or skew elections.
Three Categories of Threat
With politics removed, the strategy returns to reality-based threat assessment. Gorka identifies three primary categories:
The Cartels. President Trump designated the cartels as foreign terrorist organizations on Inauguration Day. Gorka explains the rationale with a single comparison: all U.S. combat fatalities from Korea through Afghanistan total 103,000. In one year under open borders, 110,000 Americans were killed by fentanyl and cartel-trafficked drugs, with component chemicals sourced from China. The cartels declared war on America. The administration is responding accordingly, including the destruction of drug boats by the Department of Defense.
The Global Jihadi Movement. In the 25th year since September 11th, the administration is finishing the job. U.S. forces have killed 815 jihadis in 14 months across operations including Epic Fury and Midnight Hammer. Gorka recounts how, on Day 11 of the administration, President Trump authorized the strike on an ISIS leader who had killed Americans and was plotting to kill more. Intelligence had tracked the target for 18 months under the prior administration without action. Trump looked at the briefing and said, “What do you mean we’ve been watching him? Kill him.” Less than 30 hours later, Gorka watched in the Situation Room as the target disappeared from the earth.
Left-Wing Violent Radicals. The third and most ascendant category includes Antifa, anarchists, and those responsible for multiple assassination attempts against President Trump. The strategy formally identifies these actors as a domestic terror threat and commits resources to confronting them.
The Capture of the Abbey Gate Architect
Gorka describes writing the letter “J” on a whiteboard in his classified workspace on Inauguration Day. It stood for “Jafar,” the ISIS architect of the Abbey Gate bombing that killed 13 American service members during the withdrawal from Kabul. Gorka expected the hunt to take six months to a year. On Day 43, he stood on the tarmac at Dulles alongside Tulsi Gabbard, Pam Bondi, John Ratcliffe, and Kash Patel as a DOJ jet landed with Jafar in handcuffs. The same day, the president addressed the joint session of Congress.
106 American Hostages Rescued
Gorka confirms that in 14 months, the administration has brought home 106 American hostages, a figure he says no prior administration has matched. He credits the hostage team, including Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Adam Boehler, along with a dedicated executive order providing the Secretary of State and DOJ expanded authorities against nations that wrongfully detain Americans.
The Speed of the President
A recurring theme throughout the conversation is operational velocity. Gorka recounts a reporter from a legacy outlet screaming at her producer during week three of the administration: “I can’t keep up.” Gorka's response: “That’s the point.”
He describes emerging from classified workspaces to discover new peace treaties, operations, and economic actions already completed. He notes that within 90 minutes of the Hilton assassination attempt, President Trump appeared at the podium in his tuxedo cracking jokes, flanked by his attorney general and homeland security officials.
Gorka closes by pointing Americans to the unclassified U.S. Counterterrorism Strategy on the White House website, and by honoring the team of ten directors under him drawn from tier-one units, the intelligence community, and the FBI who made the strategy possible.
Watch the full episode on Proud American Studios.
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