Secretary of State Marco Rubio is making a bold claim about the war on terror, saying no country in the world does more to go after terrorism than the United States. He credited the U.S. under President Trump with destroying ISIS in the Middle East, and he said America also eroded al-Qaeda and eliminated Osama bin Laden. He added that the U.S. has now "unfortunately" had to go into parts of Africa to take on these groups as well. In his view, no country has shown a greater commitment to fighting global terrorism.

Those are Rubio's own characterizations, and a few details help put them in context. The raid that killed bin Laden took place in 2011, under President Barack Obama. ISIS lost its territorial "caliphate" in 2019 during Trump's first term, but remnants of the group have continued to operate, so "destroyed" is a strong word. Rubio also told senators in January that terrorism was a growing threat in Africa, which fits his comments about U.S. action there. Whether any country has done "more" is a judgment call, since allies across Europe, Africa and the Middle East have also fought militant groups, often at a heavy cost.