Speaking today in Argentina, President Obama told reporters that ISIS poses no “existential threat” to the United States, and is wholly incapable of defeating the US in a fight, adding that they “don’t produce anything.”

Obama went on to say it was important for the US to keep “reminding terrorists about their weakness” by not changing how they live, which he presented as justification for continuing his Latin America trip after the Brussels attack.

A number of Republicans were quick to condemn Obama’s comments, suggesting he is “soft” on ISIS because of his comments. They also expressed outrage about his Latin America trip, though many were loudly opposed to the trip long before it had anything to do with ISIS.

Ultimately, it’s hard to imagine how ISIS could possibly pose an existential threat to the United States, as the group does not control any territory within the US, or indeed within the Western Hemisphere, and seems focused primarily on intermittent terror strikes against Western countries, as opposed to conquering them outright.