On Sunday, President Obama spoke from the Oval Office in a pre-announced speech. He aimed to assure the American people how he’s taking action after the San Bernardino shootings. After every high-profile mass shooting, Obama has grown visibly and progressively wearier on the mic. This speech arrives after the FBI’s official declaration that this massacre was terrorism.
Obama’s speech was also aimed at mitigating his falling approval rate (38% according to CNN) on how he deals with terrorism. He outlined the steps needed to remove “safe havens” for terrorists and help prevent more attacks on U.S. soil. Obama described the attack as “an act of terrorism, designed to kill innocent people.” Here’s a portion of his speech:
“As we’ve become better at preventing complex multifaceted attacks like 9/11, terrorists turn to less complicated acts of violence like the mass shootings that are all too common in our society … Since the day I took this office, I’ve authorized U.S. forces take out terrorists aboard precisely because I know how real the danger is. As a father to two daughters who are the most precious part of my life, I know that we see ourselves with friends and co-workers at a holiday party like the one in San Bernardino. I know we see our kids in faces of the young people killed in Paris … The threat from terrorism is real but we will overcome it.”
Obama further stressed that there is no evidence of the San Bernardino killers worked with a larger terrorist group. He wants Congress to make sure “no one on a no-fly list will be able to buy a gun” and provide gun-control legislation to “make it harder for them to kill.” He also urged Congress to “authorize the use of continued military force” against ISIS targets. Obama also hopes people will “enlist Muslim communities” as allies in the fight against “hateful ideology” from groups like ISIS and Al-Qaeda.