2015
- 31 December: An suicide bombing occurs in Times Square, New York City, during the ball dropping ceremony. 25 people are killed, while 40 are injured. The perpetrator was a member of ISIS. Rumors flood the Internet that the attacker was a Syrian refugee. These rumors would be swiftly proven false, and the State Department would announce the man had entered the U.S on a student visa. Congress begins calling for war to be declared against ISIS. Many conservative pundits and Republican presidential candidates use the attacks as cause to restrict immigration. President Obama delivers a speech promising justice.
2016
- January: American Islamophobia begins to rise to post-9/11 levels.
- 5 January: Obama raises the number of airstrikes against ISIS. Presidential candidate and Florida Senator Marco Rubio castigates Obama for his reluctance to deploy troops against ISIS, and vows he will eradicate the militants during his presidency.
- 6 January: Rubio quickly begins to lead in multiple voter polls.
- 25 January: ISIS now control one-third of Syria.
- 3 February: Obama announces his intention to deploy 5,000 combative troops into Syria, while ordering the 4,850 in Iraq to begin offensive missions against ISIS, breaking his earlier promises of no combat troops in the Levant. The President swears the soldiers will fight only ISIS, and will not engage in conflict with the Syrian Government.
- 5 March: Former U.S Secretary of State Hillary Clinton withdraws from the Presidential race, and endorses Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders following one of the biggest primary upsets in American political history.
- 7 March: Houthi insurgents take complete control of Yemen.
- August: The 2016 Summer Olympics are held in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, and are a massive success.
- 15 August: Rubio announces fellow U.S Senator Rob Portman (R-OH) as his running mate.
- 21 August: Sanders announces U.S Representative Barbera Lee (D-CA) will be his running mate.