Cover of the new 'Counterterrorism Strategy' of the Trump administration's second term [White House website capture]

The U.S. Donald Trump administration announced a new Counterterrorism Strategy on the 6th (local time), designating Middle and South American drug cartels as the top priority for eradication.

In addition to drug cartels, violent leftist radical groups were also identified as priority threats for elimination, alongside Islamic terrorist organizations that have traditionally been on the U.S. counterterrorism priority list.

The 16-page strategy, the first announced since President Trump launched his second administration in January last year, was posted on the White House website today.

In the strategy, the Trump administration stated, "Our top priority is to eliminate terrorist threats in the Western Hemisphere by neutralizing cartels until they can no longer bring drugs, operatives, and trafficking victims into the United States."

It added, "At the same time, we will continue to identify and eliminate cartel and gang members who have entered our country under the Biden administration, while also leveraging the designation of 'Foreign Terrorist Organizations' to tighten these organizations' commercial and logistical capabilities."

The new counterterrorism strategy also pointed to past Republican administrations' implementation of "failed perpetual war policies" and Democratic administrations' empowerment of 'state sponsors of terrorism' like Iran as reasons why Islamic jihadist terrorist organizations continue to pose a threat to the United States.

It then ranked the eradication of five major Islamist terrorist groups, including Al-Qaeda and ISIS (the U.S. military's designation for the 'Islamic State'), as the second priority.

The Trump administration also stated, "Our national counterterrorism efforts will prioritize the rapid identification and neutralization of violent, non-religious political groups with anti-American, radical pro-transgender, and anarchist ideologies."

It added, "We will utilize all constitutionally permissible means to identify their strongholds domestically, identify their members, and ascertain their links with international organizations such as Antifa."

President Trump has strongly suspected the anti-fascist movement Antifa of being behind violent and terrorist acts within the United States, such as the assassination of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk last year, and has designated it as a 'domestic terrorist organization'.

U.S. political news outlet Politico noted the stark contrast between designating violent radical left-wing groups as priority terrorist threats and the Biden administration's focus on right-wing extremism.

In this counterterrorism strategy, the Trump administration described Europe as a "long-term counterterrorism cooperation partner" while also labeling it as both a target for terrorist organizations and an "incubator" for terrorist threats. It urged Europe to "act now as the birthplace of Western culture and values and to cease its intentional decay," calling for strengthened counterterrorism efforts.

In the foreword to this counterterrorism strategy, President Trump stated, "Our new counterterrorism strategy is a return to peace through common sense and strength," adding, "As I said after my first successful counterterrorism operation, if you plot to harm or harm Americans, 'we will find you and kill you.'"