President Obama Addresses Nation, Talks Terrorism

In a televised address, President Obama told the nation what is being done to fight terrorism.

The President also said the U.S. must make it harder for would-be mass shooters to obtain guns.

FOX News Chief White House Correspondent Ed Henry has more.

President Obama gave a rare Oval Office address Sunday evening — just the third during his time in office — in an effort to reassure Americans in the wake of the mass shooting in California, which is the nation’s biggest terror attack since 9/11.

“First, our military will continue to hunt down terrorist plotters in any country where it is necessary…Second we will continue to provide training and equipment to Iraqi and Syrian forces fighting ISIL on the ground,” Obama said.

Two years ago, the President called ISIS “the JV team.” Then shortly before the terror attacks in Paris, the President claimed ISIS had been contained.

Republicans argue the White House continues to downplay the real threat and must do more to fight the Islamic State militants.

“I think the American people deserve to know what the truth really is, and we also want to hear from him a military strategy to finally defeat and destroy ISIS,” said Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX) and House Homeland Security Chairman.

The San Bernardino attacks are also re-igniting the contentious debate over gun control — with the President calling on Congress to take action.

“Congress should act to make sure no one on a no-fly list should buy a gun. What could possibly be the argument for allowing a terrorist suspect to buy a semiautomatic weapon? This is a matter of national security… We also need to make it harder for people to buy powerful assault weapons like the ones that were used in San Bernardino,” said Obama.

Republicans are pushing back by saying there’s no evidence closing any of those gun loopholes would have stopped that awful terror attack in California, Henry reported.