Donald Trump called for a new ideological test for admission to the United States in a foreign policy address he delivered in the swing state of OH on Monday.
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The Journal’s editorial board, which generally favours Republicans, has been critical of Mr Trump and has questioned his conservative credentials, but its warning on Monday was its strongest attack yet. You can find a live stream of the remarks here, or simply scroll to the bottom of this article page, where a video feed is embedded.
The Republican nominee has made stricter immigration measures a central part of his proposals for defeating the Islamic State group, a battle he said on Monday is akin to the Cold War struggle against communism.
The plan includes suspending visas from countries with ties to terrorism and “extreme vetting” of those applying to enter the US.
He said that individuals from countries where Islamic extremists hold sway would be prevented from entering the United States – for the time being, at least.
Hillary Clinton was the center of an on-stage attack during the speech when Trump stated that the Democrat lacks the “mental and physical stamina” to take on ISIS.
The US would also stop issuing visas in any case where it can not perform adequate screenings, the campaign said. “We don’t have that ability in Syria”, he said, adding: “We have to be more vigilant in terms of homegrown terror”.
He said that every year, the U.S. admits 100,000 permanent immigrants “from the Middle East”, and hundreds of thousands more temporary workers and visitors from the same region.
Trump didn’t specify which countries would on that list of blocked regions.
“With one episode of bad judgment after another, Hillary Clinton’s policies launched ISIS onto the world stage”, Trump said. That would include countries – Trump mentioned Russian Federation in particular – with which the USA might have major disagreements on other issues.
“Mr Trump’s speech will explain that while we can’t choose our friends, we must always recognise our enemies”, Trump senior policy adviser Stephen Miller said.
“Trump himself would likely not gain entry into the USA if tested for basic American values of tolerance and pluralism, given that his proposed ban on Muslims entering the United States and his views on Latinos are in complete contradiction to America’s traditions of ethnic diversity and religious freedom”, he said.
His plan included partnerships with other countries, including Muslim ones, in the fight against the so-called Islamic State militant group, but his newest idea is a test for new immigrants, The Washington Post reported.
The billionaire has revised his plan throughout his campaign, after initially proposing a blanket ban on all Muslims in December 2015.
During the primary season, Trump promised “quickly and decisively bomb the hell out of ISIS” and in March, he suggested that he would be willing to support a massive ground force to take on the terror group.
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Tweeting this weekend in response to a New York Times story that discussed advisors wanting him to stay on message, Trump contended it would be “dishonest to supporters” for him to change.
