The relationship between Donald Trump and the Islamic State is lengthy and complex. He claimed that IS’s notorious commander died like a dog when announcing his assassination, falsely accused his predecessor of establishing the group, and organized a global coalition that terminated the so-called caliphate. His administration has dealt with IS significantly less thus far in his second term as president. However, he has continued to enrich the terror group.

How is Trump’s rhetoric empowering Islamic State propaganda?

Experts claim that in its recruiting messaging, IS is taking advantage of Trump’s deconstruction of the global system, his support for Benjamin Netanyahu’s Israeli government, and—above all—his most contentious cabinet nomination.

Following a series of events that began before the presidential election, IS sympathizers’ use of internet communications has turned into a legitimate security risk in the US in recent months. In the name of IS, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, a 13-year veteran of the US Army, killed 14 partygoers on New Year’s Day in New Orleans using a vehicle. On behalf of the gang, Ammar Abdulmajid-Mohamed Said, 19, a former national guardsman, was detained and accused earlier in May of planning a mass shooting at a military facility close to Detroit.

IS propaganda spread on Rocket has been bolstered by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s tattoos, which make reference to the pan-European medieval invaders. The terror group utilizes chat as a recruitment tool to interact with its recruits and supporters. Hegseth’s tattoo, which has crusader-related crosses and another on his arm that says “infidel” or “non-believer” in Arabic, was the focus of an April IS post headlined “Clear Evidence in Ink.”

The phrase also became popular among war on terror warriors, including Hegseth, who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, as a disparaging term for themselves.

Is Trump’s support for Netanyahu fueling jihadist anger?

Trump’s ties to Netanyahu and the IDF’s ongoing annexation of Gaza, which several nations and scholars have referred to as a modern-day genocide, are further sources of material used for its digital propaganda.

One of IS’s most effective recruitment themes these days is the demand for retribution for the war and the Muslims in Gaza in its graphics and publications. 

IS also interprets the Trump administration’s wave of foreign tariffs as evidence that the West and its hierarchies of power are collapsing. The irresponsible Trump has declared triumph against jihad on several occasions, but he is now focused on attacking Chinese products and German automobiles and inciting commercial battles that would destroy Kafir nations, according to another IS essay.

For years, IS and its predecessor group, al-Qaida, have employed combinations of these subjects as standard recruitment hooks to draw individuals into their ranks. Syria, which served as a base for IS during its most prosperous period, has promised to prevent the organization and other jihadist forces from functioning within its borders as the fledgling government looks to improve relations with the United States. As a result, IS is currently in the process of rebuilding.

However, some IS chapters have demonstrated that by spreading anti-US rhetoric, they are drawing locals, foreigners, and even Americans to their cause. The IS-K branch has also demonstrated its presence within the United States. In October, the FBI thwarted an IS-K-sponsored conspiracy to assault a large gathering on election day, leading to the arrest of an Afghan national and a co-conspirator.