The end of 2024 and the beginning of 2025 have brought an onslaught of terror attacks and tumult. While the incidents that occurred over the last several months may not be connected, they do usher in a sense of chaos and fear.
As a country, to meet this moment of terror, we must all look both outwards and inwards.
All while balancing the public’s safety and protecting our beloved freedoms.
While not exhaustive, here are a few of the terror-inducing events that have occurred over the last several months:
On Dec. 4, 2024, Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, was shot and killed in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, in a “brazen, targeted attack” as he walked toward a hotel, New York police said. Luigi Mangione, the man accused of killing Thompson, was later charged with 11 counts, including murder in the second degree as a crime of terrorism.
Debrina Kawam of Toms River, N.J., was burned alive on Dec. 22, 2024, on a New York City subway. Kawam was asleep on a subway train that stopped at a station in Brooklyn’s Coney Island when her clothes were set ablaze. Sebastian Zapeta-Calil allegedly fanned the flames with a shirt, engulfing her in the blaze, before sitting on a platform bench and watching as she burned. Zapeta-Calil pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and other charges.
A total of 14 people were killed, and 35 people were injured after a man drove a truck into a crowd at Bourbon and Canal streets in New Orleans on New Year's Day in a terrorist attack, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI). The FBI confirmed the identity of the suspected driver of the truck as Shamsud-Din Jabbar of Texas. Jabbar was an Army Veteran who claimed to be a member of ISIS. He had an ISIS flag, an ice chest with pipe bombs, guns, and IEDs at the time of the attack. Jabbar was killed after being shot by the New Orleans Police Department.
The FBI shared that Jabbar said he joined ISIS before the summer and had originally planned to kill his family but felt that killing his family "would not focus on the war between the believers and disbelievers."
Also on New Year's Day, another Army veteran fatally shot himself in a Tesla Cybertruck just before it blew up outside the Trump hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. Matthew Livelsberger, a 37-year-old Green Beret from Colorado Springs, Colorado, left notes saying the New Year’s Day explosion “Was not a terrorist attack, it was a wakeup call. Americans only pay attention to spectacles and violence. What better way to get my point across than a stunt with fireworks and explosives.”
The FBI defines domestic terrorism as “Violent, criminal acts committed by individuals and/or groups to further ideological goals stemming from domestic influences, such as those of a political, religious, social, racial, or environmental nature.” International terrorism differs in that those violent acts or crimes “are committed by individuals and/or groups who are inspired by, or associated with, designated foreign terrorist organizations or nations (state-sponsored).”
The goal of a terrorist, foreign or domestic, is to instill fear into our communities. Anyone who lived through the deadliest terrorist attack on American soil on Sept. 11, 2001, knows this to be true.
Our society can deal with these intrusions on our safety and security and push back on our fears by looking outward to our leaders and elected officials and inward by strengthening our personal relationships and communities.
Citizens can hope that the elected officials who were recently elected, as well as the leaders of our institutions, will take our collective security seriously. We should also expect that those very leaders will share accurate information and not spew misinformation or share inaccurate reporting on the suspects or perpetrators of these crimes.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has a wealth of resources on its website to prevent targeted violence and terrorism, including a Prevention Resource Finder. These resources include community support, grant funding opportunities, information-sharing platforms, evidence-based research, bullying, depression, domestic violence, mental health support, gun safety best practices, and training opportunities for communities to reduce the risk of targeted violence, including hate-based targeted violence.
DHS suggests that preventing targeted violence and terrorism requires a community approach. Their list of community members includes educators, law enforcement, health care practitioners, behavioral and mental health professionals, faith-based organizations, and state, local, tribal, and territorial governments.
Omitted from DHS’ list is each of us as individuals, who are called to do our part. Just look at the words from our national anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner,” which reminds us that we live in the land of the free and the home of the brave.
The FBI’s Counterterrorism Division recommends US citizens can:
- Report suspicious activity: Individuals can report suspicious activity to the FBI by calling 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or by visiting tips.fbi.gov.
- Be aware of signs of radicalization: Individuals can recognize the signs that someone they know might be mobilizing to violence or other criminal activity.
- Prioritize safety: Individuals should prioritize their safety.
It's important to stay aware of our surroundings without becoming overly anxious. Knowing potential safety concerns can empower us to respond appropriately if we notice something unusual. Being informed can help us feel more secure and prepared.
The fear of terrorism can be debilitating. While it is important to stay informed, limit media exposure, practice relaxation techniques, develop safety plans, seek support from loved ones, and reach out to professionals if anxiety becomes overwhelming.
Essentially, trying to maintain a sense of control by acknowledging fears while focusing on daily life and taking practical steps to mitigate risks are key practices in coping with the anxiety and fear of terrorism and violence.
A golden tray sits on the Resolute Desk as President Donald Trump speaks during an announcement on American nuclear innovation in the Oval Office at the White House on July 24, 2026, in Washington, D.C. Trump is signing multiple executive orders targeting the nuclear energy sector and easing rules for new reactors and nuclear fuel supply chains.
Trump’s hubris rivals the fallen heroes of ancient Greek mythology
In January, the New York Times asked President Donald Trump if there were any limits on his global powers.
“Yeah,” the president responded, “there is one thing. My own morality. My own mind. It’s the only thing that can stop me.”
That was eight months ago, but fortunately Christopher Nolan’s blockbuster adaptation of “The Odyssey” has made ancient Greek literature newly relevant. Before that window closes, I’d like to talk about hubris.
Today, the term mostly means excessive pride or arrogance. That’s part of what the Greeks meant by it too, but the meaning was a bit richer and more specific. Hubris was an insolent or outrageous act that offended the gods, often because the transgressor was claiming abilities or authorities that solely belonged to supreme beings.
Nolan renamed and slightly modified the concept of xenia for the film, calling it “Zeus’ law.” In the director’s telling, mortals should follow the rules laid out by the gods, specifically the requirement to treat strangers with respect lest they be gods in disguise.
In a sense, hubris is the opposite, or at least the rejection, of xenia. The hubris of the suitors, and at times Odysseus himself, invites punishment by the gods and their mortal instruments.
Which brings me back to Donald Trump. His claim that there are no constraints on his personal power to dictate events on the global stage was one of the greatest expressions of hubris ever uttered by a political leader.
Trump’s claim was obviously false when he made it.
He vowed that he could end the Russia-Ukraine war in 24 hours. He’s proved powerless to make that happen. If he had divine powers to work his will, why would he have balked at implementing his tariffs so often that Wall Street adopted the “TACO trade” term for his deals? “TACO” stands for “Trump always chickens out.”
And why would Trump have made so many embarrassing concessions to China — from rescinding tariffs on Chinese goods to allowing them to buy crucial and incredibly valuable computer chips?
But Trump saw his success at capturing Venezuelan strongman Nicolas Maduro as proof of his ability to launch missiles to the same effect as Zeus’ lightning bolts. Trump believed he was the most powerful man who ever lived.
This is no exaggeration. In March, when the Iran invasion seemed successful, Trump gave a document penned by“Presidential Historian David King” to New York Times reporters Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan purporting to prove that Trump was “the most powerful person to have EVER walked this planet.” King was, in fact, a businessman and occasional caddy for legendary golfer Gary Player.
King compared Trump favorably to many of history’s most powerful, and often heinous, figures: Alexander the Great, Attila the Hun, William the Conqueror, Napoleon Bonaparte, Joseph Stalin, Genghis Khan, Mao Tse Tung, Adolf Hitler and Vladimir Lenin. Many of these men thought they were the most powerful person in the world, too. And many were defeated precisely because they believed it.
At least Napoleon and Hitler had a string of truly impressive victories before they learned the folly of hubris. The limits on Trump’s power have been exposed by far less august forces than the combined might of the allies in World War II or the fearsome Russian winter.
Iran is a comparatively middling power. But the regime’s ability to absorb punishment while imposing its will on the Strait of Hormuz has proved to be a greater constraint on Trump’s power than his morality or mind. We should note that, at least rhetorically, his morality has not proved much of a constraint. He has repeatedly promised to destroy Iranian “civilization” if the regime refuses to capitulate.
But they haven’t — and won’t anytime soon — because the regime’s tolerance for pain far outstrips Trump’s. The combined fear of skyrocketing oil prices, outrage of Gulf state potentates, diminishing weapon supplies and domestic unpopularity is doing the work that international law, congressional oversight and the collective opinion of foreign policy experts can’t or won’t do.
If I considered Trump more heroic than reason and facts could allow, I would say his Sisyphean predicament has the whiff of Greek tragedy to it. Trump is vexed by the fact that the Iranians won’t honor deals or ratify his countless premature claims of victory — giving new meaning to his vow that his presidency would make people tired of winning. It’s almost like they’re out-Trumping Trump.
Things might have gone better if he’d heeded that great Greek tragedian Sophocles: “For Zeus utterly abhors the boasts of a proud tongue.”
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Jonah Goldberg is editor-in-chief of The Dispatch and the host of The Remnant podcast. His Twitter handle is @JonahDispatch.