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.
One thing we know about Trump is that the more he tweets or says something, the more likely it is either a lie or he is hiding something. Every time something comes up related to one group or another, he says “I have a lot of friends …”. This is one of several verbal ticks (e.g. “believe me”). In reality, he probably doesn’t have a real friend in the world – and deep down he knows it.
I would just love for anyone from the MSM to respond to Trump’s statement that he has many Muslim friends by simply saying “No, you don’t.”
The man’s instinctive reaction is to lie. He doesn’t even contemplate whether a lie is necessary. He is only concerned with what he might say, in that moment, that will help him.
Well, Trump promised to contribute, but he never delivered the check.