“As he says, we have to find out who they are and why they are here”, Rod Weader, a 68-year-old real estate agent from North Charleston who attended the rally and said he agreed with Trump’s plan “150 percent”. “@RealDonaldTrump, you don’t get it. This makes us less safe”.
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Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, who has generally tried to avoid alienating Trump supporters, offered mild criticism, saying at an event in SC that Trump’s proposal “is not my policy”.
Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski said Trump’s proposed ban would apply to “everybody”, including Muslims seeking immigration visas as well as tourists seeking to enter the country.
Does Donald Trump possess special powers?
Jeb Bush, former Florida Governor, immediately obliged, calling Mr Trump “unhinged”.
Office urging Americans not to turn against Muslims in the wake of the terrorist attacks.
Trump’s statement comes as recent attacks in Paris and in San Bernardino, California, have inflamed anti-Muslim rhetoric and prompted fears about immigrants, particularly concerning the U.S.’s Syrian refugee program.
But his latest statement was particularly jarring, and it unleashed severe condemnation on Twitter, including from other Republicans running for president.
Ohio Gov. John Kasich has emerged as Trump’s most vocal critic in the Republican field of presidential hopefuls. But then again, we’ve said that before.
Chris Christie, the governor of New Jersey, said banning Muslims from entering the USA was probably illegal under the United States constitution. “But I think that’s ridiculous and I would never support a policy like that”, Baker said initially, hearing the substance of Trump’s comments read to him for the first time.
This is reprehensible, prejudiced and divisive.
Bernie Sanders issued a statement accusing Trump of demagoguery.
“Demagogues throughout our history have attempted to divide us based on race, gender, sexual orientation or country of origin”. The United States is a great nation when we stand together.
The announcement was immediately derided as risky and irresponsible both by his fellow GOP presidential candidates and Democratic rivals.
Ibraham Hooper, director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Muslim advocacy group, had a blistering response.
He said that polling showed a “hatred” by Muslims towards Americans that could put the nation at risk.
Republicans were more likely than Democrats to support closely monitoring mosques (64 per cent compared with 43 per cent) or closing ones with suspected extremist ties (69 per cent to 48 per cent).
“I can’t believe that I’m reading this, which is basically directly in contrast and in conflict with most of the most important values that people in this country hold most dear, among them the right and the ability to practice your religion peacefully”, Baker said.
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Trump’s aim is to bolster his position among conservative voters who have kept him atop opinion polls of Republican voters for months, to the point that establishment Republicans fret he could win the nomination and do so poorly in the general election next November that Republicans could not only lose the White House but also control of Congress.
