By By Dean Obeidallah, a former attorney, is the host of SiriusXM’s weekly program “The Dean Obeidallah Show,” a columnist for The Daily Beast and editor of the politics blog The Dean’s Report. Follow him on Twitter: @TheDeansreport. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.
(CNN) Donald Trump, as we all know, is a master media manipulator. He knows how to get headlines better than any modern-day presidential candidate. (Or for that matter better than almost anyone not named Kardashian.)
The latest? He called Monday for all Muslims to be blocked from entering the United States. (How will Trump determine if a person is a Muslim? Will he make everyone trying to get into the United States eat a bacon cheeseburger?)
Some have speculated that Trump’s extreme rhetoric during this campaign may just be simply to get headlines. That may or may not be true. But I’ll tell you one group that doesn’t care either way. This group clings ferociously to Trump’s most extreme positions, and its member are far to the right of the rest of the Republican Party. The group: Trump’s supporters and they are scarier than he is.
One recent clue? After Trump’s speech Monday night detailing his plan for “a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States,” his supporters gave him a standing ovation. Trump’s GOP rivals have publicly criticized the proposal, by contrast. Even Dick Cheney, yes Cheney, said the proposal “goes against everything we stand for and believe in.”
Categories: America, Americas, Islamophobia, The Muslim Times, USA