President Obama again attempted to reassure America that he was taking the threat posed by radical Islamic terrorism seriously, making a statement to the press after a meeting with National Security officials of his administration.
“As of today, we know of no specific and credible intelligence indicating a plot on the homeland,” Obama said after the meeting.
Obama was flanked by National Security Advisor Susan Rice, Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson, Attorney General Loretta Lynch, F.B.I. Director James Comey, and his counterterrorism advisor Lisa Monaco.
After a week of encouraging Americans not to be afraid of terrorism, Obama acknowledged that Americans were afraid of an attack from ISIS after watching the attacks from Islamic State terrorists in Paris.
“As we are going into Thanksgiving weekend, I want the American people to know that we are taking every possible step to keep our homeland safe,” he said.
He praised law enforcement officers for working long hours to keep Americans safe and stopping unseen threats but urged Americans to stay vigilant.
“If you see something suspicious, say something,” he said. “That’s always helpful.”
Obama has faced growing doubt from Americans concerning his ability to keep the nation safe from terrorist attacks after ISIS launched a series of horrific attacks in Paris.
The president received some of the worst ratings of his presidency on handling the fight against terrorism this week. In the latest ABC News/Washington Post poll, 54 percent of voters signaled disapproval of Obama’s approach on terrorism and only 40 percent approved.
“Happy Thanksgiving everyone,” he concluded.