GOP frontrunner Donald Trump released a statement Monday calling for “a total and complete shutdown” of Muslims immigrating into the United States in light of recent terrorist attacks.
“Without looking at the various polling data, it is obvious to anybody the hatred is beyond comprehension. Where this hatred comes from and why we will have to determine,” Trump said in the statement. “Until we are able to determine and understand this problem and the dangerous threat it poses, our country cannot be the victims of horrendous attacks by people that believe only in Jihad, and have no sense of reason or respect for human life. If I win the election for President, we are going to Make America Great Again.”
The White House, through spokesman Josh Earnest, quickly condemned the comment. Earnest told MSNBC Monday afternoon that the proposal is “entirely inconsistent with the kinds of values that were central to the founding of this country.”
“Not only is it contrary to our values, but if we actually want to have a comprehensive strategy for combatting extremist elements in the Muslim community, then we actually need to work with the Muslim community, work with Muslim leaders to root out those voices and to root out that messaging,” Earnest said.
In the full statement (below), Trump quoted polling by the Center for Security Policy, an anti-Muslim think tank whose founder, Frank Gaffney is known for raising alarms about “creeping Sharia law” and for accusing U.S. officials of having ties to the Muslim Brotherhood. The poll itself was widely discredited.
Trump’s statement comes as recent attacks in Paris and in San Bernardino, California, have inflamed anti-Muslim rhetoric and prompted fears about immigrants, particularly concerning the U.S.’s Syrian refugee program. Trump’s statement to end all Muslim immigration goes further than previous GOP proposals, including Sen. Rand Paul’s (R-KY) call that immigration from the Middle East should be halted.
Read the full Trump statement:
Corrected: The story has been corrected to reflect statements Frank Gaffney has made connecting U.S. officials to the Muslim Brotherhood.
