Gorka: President Trump Understands ‘We’ve Got to Destroy the Ideology of Jihadism If We’re Going to Win’

Trump Saudi Arabia Evan Vucci:AP
Evan Vucci/AP

Deputy Assistant to the President Dr. Sebastian Gorka, formerly National Security editor for Breitbart News, was a guest on Breitbart News Sunday with SiriusXM host Raheem Kassam.

Gorka said one of the most important points to stress about President Trump’s trip to the Middle East is that it’s not an “apology tour,” as his predecessor President Obama’s tour of the Middle East has been derisively described.

In particular, he said President Trump’s address to the leaders of Muslim nations in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Sunday was “completely different” from President Obama’s famous (or infamous) speech in Cairo in 2009.

“You actually had the Muslim Brotherhood sitting in the front row, let’s remember that, at the beginning of apology tour,” Gorka said of Obama’s speech.

Kassam noted President Trump used the words “terror” and “terrorism” 31 times in his speech, versus Gorka’s count of “zero” mentions by President Obama.

“He did talk about Iran. He did talk about the threat of Shia terrorism,” Gorka said of Trump’s remarks. “But he was also explicit — he was talking to a room full of Sunni Arab leaders, and he said that ‘you must drive the terrorists out of your places of worship, out of your community.’”

“I think it’s not a fair summation to say that it was of one side, with regard to who the terrorists are,” he said.

“The bottom line is, everybody who’s been suffering — in the intelligence community, law enforcement, the military — with years and years of censorship, of political correctness, must be celebrating tonight. Because what else did he say? Unequivocally, this is a battle between good and evil,” Gorka said.

He was enthusiastic that a “stake has been put through the heart” of “postmodern relativism” and “the secular interpretation of ‘Jobs for Jihadis,’” a reference to the Obama administration’s notorious contention that a good jobs program for terrorist recruits would help to defeat the Islamic State.

Kassam expressed skepticism that tougher rhetoric, or measures such as a much-touted effort to cut off terrorist financing, would be game-changers.

“The proof will be in what actually happens afterward,” Gorka promised. “I’ve always said the issue of terrorism financing is not a panacea. The terrorists need money to do what they do, but at the end of the day, look at the attack in Nice. You can rent a truck, steal a truck, and kill almost a hundred people. It’s part of the solution, but not the solution alone.”

“With regards to counter-message, we need to have governments involved,” he continued. “We must have countries like Saudi Arabia that are home to Mecca and Medina, and Egypt which has the Al-Azhar, which is the most important theological institution in the Sunni world — they must be part of the solution.”

“But I will say that it’s often non-governmental counter-messaging that is more effective,” he added. “It’s good to have this stuff, just to have this commitment, but there are already thousands of Muslims who are on our side, risking their lives every day on their blogs, in the media, pushing back on the jihadis. Those individuals must be supported as well, because at the end of the day it’s not a kinetic challenge. It’s not just about killing terrorists. Like Ronald Reagan, Maggie, St. John Paul II, we’ve got to destroy the ideology of jihadism if we’re going to win.”

Kassam noted that many Americans are uncomfortable with the United States relying on Saudi Arabia, home to many of the 9/11 attackers, as a partner in the struggle against terrorism.

“There are trends, there were historic events, individuals that were linked to Saudi Arabia,” Gorka acknowledged. “But to say the whole government, the whole administration is culpable — no, it was al-Qaeda.”

“Let’s not take the culpability, let’s not take the responsibility away from the individuals that did that act,” he urged. “Al-Qaeda wasn’t a product of the Saudi regime. Al-Qaeda was created by a Jordanian individual called Abdullah Azzam, when he built something called the Arab Services Bureau in the 1980s to fight the Soviets in Afghanistan, and hired an individual called Osama bin Laden to be his Number Two.”

“Let’s be factual about where the threat comes from. State sponsorship of terrorism is still a problem. Look at the reception the president was given by the Saudi authorities. It’s clear that there are new winds blowing out of Riyadh as we speak,” he said.

Gorka would not take it upon himself to say whether President Trump misspoke, or made a calculated decision to alter the speech, when he spoke of “Islamic terrorism” instead of “Islamist terrorism,” as the transcript stipulated.

“I will allow the president to speak for himself. He knows very well what he’s saying, when he’s saying it,” Gorka said. “I think the important thing that he said is, ‘We are going to defeat the terrorists and send their wicked ideology into oblivion.’ Let’s take those words to the bank.”

Looking forward to the rest of President Trump’s trip, Gorka’s advice was: “Hold on to your hats, because this trip is going to be an incredible success.”

“Next it’s going to be Israel, then the Vatican, then the meeting of the advanced nations and NATO. You ain’t seen nothing yet, Raheem,” he promised.

Breitbart News Sunday airs from 7 PM to 10 PM EST on SiriusXM Satellite Radio’s PATRIOT 125 channel.

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