Donald Trump eliminated Al-Qaeda and ISIS.
Posted by The Rob Carson Show, Checked
- Sources
- 5 contradict3 support1 context
- Said
- 1 time·
- Confidence
- 85%
The Rob Carson ShowOct 5, 2026
The claim that Trump eliminated Al-Qaeda and ISIS as organizations is contradicted by sources reporting that ISIS remained a deadly, resilient force and that Al-Qaeda was still a target, though the record shows Trump-era strikes killed key leaders and ISIS lost most of its territory.
What was said
… Go ahead, what your thoughts, Brigitte Gabriel? Well, it is. It's Iran, which is the head of the Al-Qaeda that was funding terrorism all throughout the Middle East. We eliminate President Trump eliminated Al-Qaeda eliminated ISIS. I mean, yes, the ideology is still out there, and you still have adherents to the ideology, but they were never going to be able to pull out like a September 11th attack. …
The Rob Carson Show · · from the transcriptPost →What we found
Contradicts. AP fact check reports that after Trump declared victory over ISIS in December 2018, the militants 'remain a deadly force' and still hold territory, with their leader al-Baghdadi still at large at the time.[1]
Contradicts. Politico says ISIS 'may be largely beaten, but it's not gone,' and that the group remains lethal in Syria, which contradicts the claim that the group was eliminated.[6]
Contradicts. National security adviser John Bolton stated the administration never claimed the end of ISIS in total, and that ISIS fighters remained in Syria and Iraq and the group was growing elsewhere.[7]
Contradicts. New America reports that ISIS and al-Qaeda 'remain resilient' and that defeat of ISIS territory did not end the jihadist threat.[8]
Contradicts. The 2026 U.S. Counterterrorism Strategy treats al Qaeda and ISIS as ongoing targets that must be destroyed, implying both groups still exist and were not eliminated.[4]
Supports. The White House press release says U.S. forces under Trump 'eliminated key ISIS and Al-Qaeda leaders,' which is a narrower claim about leaders rather than the organizations.[5]
Supports. PolitiFact reports the coalition had liberated close to 100 percent of ISIS-held territory, a 93 percent reduction in area, and the Snopes review says Trump campaign claims of defeating ISIS were made, but these support territorial losses rather than elimination of the groups.[2][3]
Context. Snopes and GovExec argue Obama's campaign launched and carried out much of the work against ISIS, and GovExec finds Trump's 'completely defeated' claim false.[3][9]
Sources
9 sources: 3 fact-checkers, 2 primary, 1 tier 2, 3 not rated
- 1Trump prematurely declares victory over ISapnews.com · fact-checker · cited for: contradicts
- 2Donald Trump: ISIS territory losses near 100 percent - PolitiFactpolitifact.com · fact-checker · cited for: supports
- 3Who Really Defeated the Islamic State – Obama or Trump?snopes.com · fact-checker · cited for: supports, context
- 4[PDF] 2026 U.S. Counterterrorism Strategy - The White Housewhitehouse.gov · primary source · cited for: contradicts
- 5White House Press Release - President Trump's Peace ...presidency.ucsb.edu · primary source · cited for: supports
- 6What Trump Gets Right—and Wrong—About Defeating ISISpolitico.com · tier 2 · cited for: contradicts
- 7National security adviser John Bolton says Trump is 'as ...abcnews.com · not rated · cited for: contradicts
- 8The War on ISIS and Other Extremist Groupsnewamerica.org · not rated · cited for: contradicts
- 9Who Really Defeated the Islamic State – Obama or Trump?govexec.com · not rated · cited for: context
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