Spin Cycle: New Orleans Terror Attack Was Not About The Border, Stop Talking About The Border

For those who don’t spend their Sunday mornings glued to the television — and their Sunday afternoons attempting to dig through a week’s worth of network and cable news media spin — The Daily Wire has compiled a short summary of what you may have missed.

Sunday’s narrative focused primarily on the terrorist attack that took place last week in New Orleans — along with a concerted effort to drive conversation away from the terror risk posed by the open southern border and toward the threat of homegrown terrorism.

As soon as it was clear that the truck attack in New Orleans had been motivated by radical Islamist ideology — coupled with conflicting reports about the truck that was used and whether it had recently crossed the border — a number, President-elect Donald Trump among them, pointed to the porous border and questioned whether more such attacks might be possible or even imminent.

But Democrats and legacy media were quick to put distance on the topic of the border and the crisis that has unfolded there under the Biden-Harris administration’s lax policies — and they emphasized the fact that at least in this particular case, the perpetrator was an American citizen who had been radicalized.

On ABC News’ “This Week,” Chief Justice correspondent Pierre Thomas raised the question of how exactly the New Orleans terror suspect had been radicalized — specifically, whether ISIS had recruited him or he had come to them.

“The main focus of the investigation right now: trying to figure out if the suspect was radicalized on his own or if someone from ISIS directed him in anyway,” Thomas told anchor George Stephanopoulos.

.@PierreTABC has the latest on the New Year's Day truck attack in New Orleans.

“The main focus of the investigation right now: trying to figure out if the suspect was radicalized on his own or if someone from ISIS directed him in anyway.” https://t.co/8o1oMWvGZN pic.twitter.com/dhsDNS4kDu

— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) January 5, 2025

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas doubled down on that narrative, saying outright that the border was not part of the problem, at least in this current case.

“The assailant who perpetrated the terrorist attack in New Orleans was born in the United States, raised in the United States and served in our armed forces. It is not an issue of the border,” he said.

“The assailant who perpetrated the terrorist attack in New Orleans was born in the United States, raised in the United States and served in our armed forces. It is not an issue of the border,” Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas says. https://t.co/rRMUv9vl3M pic.twitter.com/CdxBxDH9S1

— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) January 5, 2025

He went on to add that officials had noted a “significant increase” in “homegrown violent extremism” in recent years, specifically over the last decade.

“It’s a very difficult threat landscape,” he said.

Homeland Security Sec. Alejandro Mayorkas tells George Stephanopoulos that officials have seen a “significant increase” over the last 10 years in “homegrown violent extremism.”

“It is a very difficult threat landscape.” https://t.co/r02W91CgMN pic.twitter.com/yVFQAGxKQg

— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) January 5, 2025

On CBS News’ “Face the Nation,” former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also addressed the idea of violent extremism coming from domestic sources, claiming that it was a deterrent for women who might otherwise run for office.

“Women are known to be more, shall we say, ethical, than men,” Pelosi claimed, giving no evidence to support her theory. “And so, when they go after women candidates, they go after their ethics. And they’ll say this, that and the other thing. And then the child comes home from school crying because somebody said a bad thing about mom on TV. And nobody wants that.”

The threat of domestic violent extremism is discouraging women from running for public office, says @SpeakerPelosi, telling @margbrennan that women candidates are attacked particularly for their ethics.

"Women are known to be more, shall we say, ethical, than men. And so, when… pic.twitter.com/ZXOhIkrCdU

— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) January 5, 2025

Pelosi then pivoted to January 6th, as Congress prepares to certify the results of the 2024 presidential election, claiming that the American people had only voted for President-elect Trump a second time because they were more worried about their bank accounts than the threat of violence.

“They just had a different view as to what was in their interest, economically and the rest,” she told his Margaret Brennan.

.@SpeakerPelosi says she doesn't believe the American people disregarded the Jan. 6, 2021 U.S. Capitol attack by voting to reelect Donald Trump, but "they just had a different view as to what was in their interest, economically and the rest." Trump's continued efforts to falsely… pic.twitter.com/km4MOA8SGp

— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) January 5, 2025

On “State of the Union,” CNN anchor Jake Tapper pressed Sen. Jim Banks (R-IN) on the issue — asking specifically whether Trump had jumped the gun when he linked terror threats in the United States to the porous border and the lax immigration policies under Biden and Harris.

“Wasn’t that premature given that this was an American citizen?” Tapper asked.

Banks pushed back, noting that former President Barack Obama had referred to ISIS as “the JV team of terrorism, and obviously they’re not.” He went on to note that Trump had essentially cut ISIS off at the knees during his first term and was prepared to do the same again.

.@jaketapper presses GOP @SenatorBanks on his and Trump's comments connecting the New Orleans terror attack to Biden's border policies: "Wasn't that premature?" pic.twitter.com/MhN6BNWdKe

— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) January 5, 2025

NBC News took a different tack and a different direction, with the focus primarily on the end of Biden’s presidency and the imminent certification of Trump’s victory.

On “Meet the Press,” after addressing the New Orleans attack, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer ran defense for Biden — and his surrogates in the Democratic Party and legacy media — claiming that no one had misled the American people with regard to the president’s obvious mental decline.

Schumer says ‘we didn’t’ mislead Americans on Biden’s mental acuity: Full interview https://t.co/IfpizHdPFR

— Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) January 5, 2025

On NBC’s soon to be spun off affiliate MSNBC, former White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki was laser-focused on her favorite target: Trump. Her guests joined her to discuss the upcoming sentencing in his Manhattan hush-money trial and how that was likely to impact the beginning of the presidency.

“The final thing that’s important to note is by sentencing Donald Trump this Friday, [Judge Merchan] will trigger Donald Trump’s appellate rights …” guest Andrew Weissmann noted. “It gives finality to the trial court’s ruling here, and it sends a message about this case to the public.”

.@AWeissmann_: “The final thing that's important to note is by sentencing Donald Trump this Friday, [Judge Merchan] will trigger Donald Trump's appellate rights… It gives finality to the trial court's ruling here, and it sends a message about this case to the public.”… pic.twitter.com/a9SsufKIDz

— Inside with Jen Psaki (@InsideWithPsaki) January 5, 2025