Trump signs new U.S. counterterrorism strategy as White House seeks more allied action

Wednesday, May 6, 2026U.S. PoliticsWell-covered3 frames

President Donald Trump signed a new U.S. counterterrorism strategy, which the White House announced on Wednesday.
The strategy makes eliminating drug cartels in the Western Hemisphere the administration’s top counterterrorism priority.
White House officials said the strategy also targets Islamist militant groups and violent domestic political groups in addition to cartels.
U.S. counterterrorism officials planned a meeting with international partners on Friday to ask how allies can increase efforts against terrorist threats, including threats linked to Iran and security in the Strait of Hormuz.
The administration is using the strategy to press other countries, especially in the Middle East, Europe and the Western Hemisphere, to work more closely with the United States against terrorism and cartel-related threats.
The document was released months after the administration published an updated national security strategy that made the Western Hemisphere the top U.S. focus.
The strategy signals a broader use of U.S. counterterrorism policy than earlier post-9/11 frameworks by extending priority attention beyond groups such as ISIS and al Qaeda to cartels and some domestic extremist groups.
What remains unresolved is how the administration will apply these priorities in practice, including what tools it will use against domestic groups and how much additional action allies will take in response to U.S. requests.

How left and right are reading this

Both agree: The strategy marks a real expansion of U.S. counterterrorism beyond earlier post-9/11 frameworks, pairing a Western Hemisphere focus on cartels with continued attention to Islamist militants and some domestic extremist groups, even as its practical application remains unsettled.
They split on: Whether the story is about widening counterterrorism authorities and how far they may reach domestically, or about using a broader strategy to push allies toward more reciprocal action against shared terrorist and cartel-related threats.

President Donald Trump signed a new U.S. counterterrorism strategy, which the White House announced on Wednesday.
The strategy makes eliminating drug cartels in the Western Hemisphere the administration’s top counterterrorism priority.
White House officials said the strategy also targets Islamist militant groups and violent domestic political groups in addition to cartels.
U.S. counterterrorism officials planned a meeting with international partners on Friday to ask how allies can increase efforts against terrorist threats, including threats linked to Iran and security in the Strait of Hormuz.
The administration is using the strategy to press other countries, especially in the Middle East, Europe and the Western Hemisphere, to work more closely with the United States against terrorism and cartel-related threats.
The document was released months after the administration published an updated national security strategy that made the Western Hemisphere the top U.S. focus.
The strategy signals a broader use of U.S. counterterrorism policy than earlier post-9/11 frameworks by extending priority attention beyond groups such as ISIS and al Qaeda to cartels and some domestic extremist groups.
What remains unresolved is how the administration will apply these priorities in practice, including what tools it will use against domestic groups and how much additional action allies will take in response to U.S. requests.