Source: The Washington Post
Republican presidential contender Donald Trump said on Dec. 7 that he was in favor of a ‘”total and complete” shutdown of Muslims entering the United States. (C-SPAN)
By Sean Sullivan and Jenna Johnson December 8
Republican and Democratic leaders leveled their most forceful criticism yet against Donald Trump on Tuesday, widely denouncing the GOP presidential front-runner’s call to bar Muslims from entering the United States and signaling that Trump’s anti-immigrant and anti-Islamic rhetoric has agitated both parties more than ever.
At the White House, President Obama’s top spokesman said Trump’s proposal “disqualifies him” from the presidency, marking a rare administration foray into the 2016 race. On Capitol Hill, House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said the idea was at odds with the values of their party and the United States as a whole.
In the space of a day, Trump’s role as a domestic political provocateur expanded to international agitator as he sent a first-of-its-kind signal abroad: The leading presidential contender in the opposition party wants to keep Muslims out of the United States.
Leaders across the globe condemned Trump as officials at home worried about the long-term implications of his actions. Trump called Monday for a “total and complete” ban on Muslims entering the United States until we “figure out what is going on.” He reiterated his overall view on Tuesday.
It was far from clear whether the proposed ban on Muslims would have a negative effect on Trump’s popularity, which has only grown as he has escalated his rhetoric against illegal immigrants and a host of other groups. Some of his rivals stepped carefully around his remarks, and many of his most vocal critics stopped short of refusing to back him if he is the Republican nominee.
White House press secretary Josh Earnest said Trump’s proposal “disqualifies him from serving as president,” declaring that his rhetoric is “harmful to the country” and makes it harder to “work in partnership” with American Muslim leaders to identify potential threats.
Earnest said other candidates and Republican leaders “should say right now that they will not support him for president.”
Categories: Americas, The Muslim Times, United States, US Politics