While discussing Donald Trump’s renewed call to bans Muslims from entering the U.S. and his criticism of plans for the country to accept more Syrian refugees on Monday night, Fox News Bill O’Reilly asked the presumptive Republican presidential nominee whether his rhetoric went too far.
“You know there are good, loyal, Muslim Americans who love this country, who’ve died for this country,” O’Reilly said to Trump.
“True. I have many friends,” Trump replied.
“Do you believe that there is a danger now, that because of your hot rhetoric about the topic, and I agree with some of what you are saying, OK. You have got to vet these people from overseas. You just can’t let them waltz in; I agree,” O’Reilly then continued. “But you see that you could be contributing to a demonization of all Muslims in general? Is that possible?”
Trump denied that that was the case.
“No. Just the opposite. I really believe it’s just the opposite,” he said, touting his “many friends who are Muslim.”
“I get calls from many people, who are Muslim, thanking me. I have some incredible friends, some wonderful friends. Some are very successful, some aren’t. But I have many Muslim friends, and they’re thanking me — many of them, not all of them but many of them,” Trump continued.
He criticized Hillary Clinton for supporting U.S. plans to accept Syrian refugees.
“The fact is she’s allowing massive numbers of people to come in and they are not all radicalized and they’re not all terrorists but it doesn’t take many,” he said.
Watch part of the interview via Fox News. The relevant portion begins at the 3:30 mark.
