Donald Trump told CNN’s Anderson Cooper on Wednesday night that he thinks that “Islam hates” the United States, and the Republican presidential candidate did not offer a clear contrast between Islam and “radical Islam” when asked.
Cooper asked Trump if he believes “Islam is at war with the West.”
“I think Islam hates us,” Trump responded. “There’s a tremendous hatred there, there’s a tremendous hatred. We have to get to the bottom of it. There is an unbelievable hatred of us.”
“In Islam itself?” Cooper pressed.
“You’re gonna have to figure that out, OK?” Trump replied. “But there’s a tremendous hatred. And we have to be very vigilant. We have to be very careful. And we can’t allow people coming into this country who have this hatred of the United States.”
The CNN host then asked Trump whether the U.S. was at war with Islam or “radical Islam.”
“Well, it’s radical, but it’s very hard to define. It’s very hard to separate. Because you don’t know who’s who,” Trump said in response.
