Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump was unable to decide if he would have supported or opposed the internment of Japanese American citizens during World War II because he wasn’t there.
“I would have had to be there at the time to tell you, to give you a proper answer. I certainly hate the concept of it. But I would have had to be there at the time to give you a proper answer,” the former reality television star told TIME magazine in an interview published on Tuesday.
This interview was published after Trump announced a new policy to ban all Muslim immigration to the U.S.
“Without looking at the various polling data, it is obvious to anybody the hatred is beyond comprehension,” Trump’s statement read. “Where this hatred comes from and why we will have to determine.”
The 2016ers rushed to condemn Trump to varying degrees. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush called him “unhinged” while Cruz cautiously said the ban “is not my policy.” Former Vice President Dick Cheney said the plan was “against everything we stand for and believe in.”
Trump also told TIME that war required “tough” choices.
“It’s a tough thing. It’s tough,” Trump said. “But you know war is tough. And winning is tough. We don’t win anymore. We don’t win wars anymore. We don’t win wars anymore. We’re not a strong country anymore. We’re just so off.”