--- title: Barack Obama Delivers Oval Office Terrorism Address description: Obama sought to calm the nation amid growing fears about terrorism canonical: https://time.com/4137956/president-obama-oval-office-isis/ author: Maya Rhodan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-12-07T01:37:07.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-05T08:40:17.524Z article:section: Politics og:title: Barack Obama Delivers Oval Office Terrorism Address og:description: Obama sought to calm the nation amid growing fears about terrorism og:url: https://time.com/4137956/president-obama-oval-office-isis/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1c3d04053e22b75b/69887409428a9e7ef3cd06d4/obama-isis.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 5317 og:image:height: 2991 og:image:alt: US President Barack Obama's address to the nation in Washington, DC og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Barack Obama Delivers Oval Office Terrorism Address twitter:description: Obama sought to calm the nation amid growing fears about terrorism twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1c3d04053e22b75b/69887409428a9e7ef3cd06d4/obama-isis.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # President Obama: 'We Will Overcome' ISIS Threat > Sponsored content. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=138117e7-4f6b-4cc2-a827-2d251da4b5ec&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: TIME Raw: Obama Vows To Overcome ISIS Threat [Watch (HLS stream): TIME Raw: Obama Vows To Overcome ISIS Threat](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/yVQO4Nfu.m3u8) (1:38)  _Published 2015-12-07_ by [Maya Rhodan](https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Dec 7, 2015 1:37 AM UTC by [Maya Rhodan](https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Dec 7, 2015 1:37 AM UTC President Obama delivered a rare prime time address from the Oval Office on Sunday in an effort to quell fears that the U.S. is particularly vulnerable to terrorism following last week’s mass shooting in San Bernardino, Calif. “I know that after so much war, many Americans are asking whether are we are confronted by a cancer that has no immediate cure,” Obama said Sunday, standing behind a lectern in the Oval Office. “The threat from terrorism is real but we will overcome it. We will destroy \[ISIS\] and any other organization that tries to harm us…we will prevail by being strong and smart.” “Lets make sure we never forget what makes us exceptional,” said Obama, who spoke before heading off to the Kennedy Center Honors celebration in Washington, D.C., a trip he almost canceled for the address. “Let’s not forget that freedom is always more powerful than fear.” The 15-minute speech was more about reassuring the public than announcing any major changes to the ongoing fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS) or revealing new details about the ongoing investigation in California. On Sunday night, the Commander in Chief sought to take on the role of the nation’s teacher, soberly outlining the threat of terrorism based on high-level intelligence and giving a broad overview of the existing efforts the U.S. is putting forward to defeat and ultimately destroy the terrorist network. President Obama also acknowledged the changing nature of terrorism amid the rise of ISIS, saying it’s imperative that the American people remain vigilant and aware while resisting urges to discriminate against Muslims and immigrants to America in efforts to keep the homeland safe. He called on all Americans, of every faith to reject “discrimination.” That kind of “betrayal of American values” plays into the hands of groups like ISIS, he said. “\[ISIS\] does not speak for Islam, they are thugs and killers,” the President continued. “We cannot turn against one another by letting this war be defined as a fight against Islam.” Obama stopped short of delivering news of any new efforts to take out the terrorist network ISIS, instead insisting that the international coalition the U.S. is leading has already ramped up targeted attacks against the group’s strongholds. The end goal, he said, is to destroy the group, which may have inspired the shooting in California, and bears responsibility for the Nov.13 attacks in Paris. Since the shooting, President Obama has spoken to both British Prime Minister David Cameron and French President François Hollande about increasing strikes abroad. The U.K. Parliament voted last week to join the coalition air campaign in Syria. But he insisted that Americans would not be drawn into another ground war like in Afghanistan and Iraq. The speech Sunday focused more on the terrorism aspect than Obama has in recent days, though he also called for stricter gun-control measures — a line that’s drawn ire from Republicans in Congress and seeking to succeed him. “I know there are some who reject any gun-safety measures, but the fact is that every intelligence and law-enforcement agency cannot identify every mass shooter,” Obama said. “What we can do and must do is make it harder for those to kill.” Obama did call on Congress to block people on no-fly lists from getting guns — a measure that failed in the Senate this week — and urged them to vote to authorize the use of military force against ISIS. “I think it’s time for Congress to vote to demonstrate that the American people are united and committed to this fight.” **Read more:**[_2016 Presidential Candidates React to San Bernardino Shooting_ ](http://time.com/4133572/2016-candidates-san-bernardino/) There are still few clues as to motive in the shooting rampage of husband and wife Syed Farook and Tashfeen Malik that killed 14 people and injured over a dozen more in San Bernardino. Federal authorities are currently investigating the attack as an act of terrorism, with investigators citing evidence they had been radicalized and inspired by ISIS terrorists — though there is currently no indication that either were directly linked to the terrorist network. Assault weapons, ammunition, and supplies to make bombs were discovered in the couple’s home. The husband had reportedly traveled to [Saudi Arabia in 2014](http://time.com/4134917/san-bernardino-shooter-saudi-arabia/) and the wife is believed to have [pledged herself to ISIS ahead of the massacre](http://abcnews.go.com/US/search-home-san-bernardino-shooting-suspects-neighbor/story?id=35602365). “We are looking at everything we can find out about these two killers’ lives,” said Attorney General Loretta Lynch during an appearance on NBC’s [_Meet the Press_](http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/san-bernardino-shooting/ag-lynch-president-will-call-congress-take-action-guns-san-n475046) on Sunday. But, she said, the nature of the attack and the apparent lack of a link to a broader terrorist group indicates the “evolving nature” of the threat of terrorism. “We have come from a time of the large scale, planned al-Qaeda-style attacks to the encouragement of lone wolves,” Lynch said. “The encouragement of people to act on their own.” **Read more:** [_San Bernardino Shooting Victim Died While Shielding Survivor_ ](http://time.com/4137684/san-bernardino-shooting-victim-died-while-shielding-survivor/) A senior Administration official said Sunday that because the San Bernardino shooting was an act of homegrown terrorism, federal investigators likely would not have detected plans set out by the California couple beforehand. Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson told the New York [_Times_](http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/06/us/politics/california-attack-has-us-rethinking-strategy-on-homegrown-terror.html) on Sunday that terrorists have “outsourced” attempts to attack the U.S., which calls for a “whole new approach.” **Read more:** [_London Stabbing Being Treated as a ‘Terrorist Incident,’ U.K. Police Say_](http://time.com/4137731/london-underground-stabbing-terrorism/) As the 2016 race ticks on, Obama was in the position of having to deliver his remarks as Republican presidential candidates upped their hawkish tones on Sunday talk shows and on the campaign trail. [Senator Marco Rubio](http://thehill.com/homenews/sunday-talk-shows/262240-rubio-obama-weakened-us-intelligence) blamed Obama for weakening U.S. intelligence gathering; former [Florida Governor Jeb Bush](http://thehill.com/homenews/sunday-talk-shows/262248-bush-clinton-a-focus-group-politician-on-isis) said Obama “hasn’t had a strategy” on destroying ISIS; and businessman[ Donald Trump](https://www.yahoo.com/politics/trump-clinton-terror-gun-control-san-bernardino-172318840.html) didn’t rule out tracking Muslims who may be linked to terrorism. “You have people that have to be tracked. If they’re Muslims, they’re Muslims. But you have people that have to be tracked,” said Trump, who live-tweeted criticisms of the President’s speech. A senior Administration official said Obama’s goal on Sunday was to provide context to the American people, and counter rhetoric that can be seen as divisive, particularly among American Muslims. Obama has repeatedly said that without the help of the Muslim community it will be difficult to reach individuals who are susceptible to radicalization. On Sunday, he called on Muslims across America to reject extremist narratives and provide alternatives to those who could be radicalized. ## Transcript As groups like ISOL grew stronger amidst the chaos of war in Iraq and then Syria. And as the internet erases the distance between countries we see growing efforts by terrorists to poison the minds of people like the Boston Marathon bombers. And the San Bernardino killers. The terrorist threat has evolved into a new phase. As we've become better at preventing complex, multifaceted attacks like 9 / 11, terrorists turn to less complicated acts of violence like the mass shootings that are all too common in our society. ISIL does not speak for Islam. They are thugs and killers. Part of a cult of death. And they account for a tiny fraction of a more than a billion Muslims around the world. Including millions of patriotic Muslim Americans who reject their hateful ideology. I know that after so much war, many Americans are asking whether we are confronted by a cancer It has no immediate cure. Well, here's what I want you to know. The threat from terrorism is real. But we will overcome it. We will destroy ISIL, and any other organization that tries to harm us. Our success won't depend on tough talk, or abandoning our values, or giving in to fear. That's what groups like ISIL are hoping for. Instead, we will prevail by being strong and smart, resilient, and relentless, and by drawing upon every aspect of American power. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4137956/president-obama-oval-office-isis/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4137956/president-obama-oval-office-isis/"},"headline":"President Obama: 'We Will Overcome' ISIS Threat","datePublished":"2015-12-07T01:37:07.000Z","dateModified":"2026-10-05T08:40:17.524Z","description":"Obama sought to calm the nation amid growing fears about terrorism","url":"https://time.com/4137956/president-obama-oval-office-isis/","keywords":["White House","Barack Obama","Obama","Terrorism","ISIS","san bernardino"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1c3d04053e22b75b/69887409428a9e7ef3cd06d4/obama-isis.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Maya Rhodan","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1c3d04053e22b75b/69887409428a9e7ef3cd06d4/obama-isis.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"US President Barack Obama's address to the nation in Washington, DC","caption":"US President Barack Obama's address to the nation in Washington, DC","creditText":"Jim Lo Scalzo—EPA","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/white-house/","name":"White House"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4137956/president-obama-oval-office-isis/","name":"President Obama: 'We Will Overcome' ISIS Threat"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"TIME Raw: Obama Vows To Overcome ISIS Threat","description":"","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/yVQO4Nfu/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2015-12-07T03:50:24.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/yVQO4Nfu.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/4137956/president-obama-oval-office-isis/","duration":"PT1M38S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/4137956/president-obama-oval-office-isis/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```