Donald Trump Back-Pedals on Banning Muslims From U.S.
Donald Trump appears to be backing away from one of his signature and most controversial proposals-banning Muslims from entering the U.S.-as polls show him falling slightly behind Hillary Clinton.
Since Mr. Trump essentially clinched the GOP presidential nomination in May, amid widespread popularity of his proposed ban among primary voters, he has gradually moved away from a blanket religious ban and toward a more nuanced policy targeting countries with a record of terrorism.
Mr. Trump’s policy director, Stephen Miller, said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal on Monday, “The best way to prevent continued radicalization from developing inside America is to suspend temporarily immigration from regions that have been a major source for terrorists and their supporters coming to the U.S.”
But the evolution of the policy has come in fits and starts, with conflicting statements by Mr. Trump that have confused some of his strongest supporters on Capitol Hill. Mr. Trump has never said he was wrong about the temporary Muslim ban or explicitly said he was abandoning that policy.
Asked about the confusion, one of Mr. Trump’s top foreign-policy advisers, retired Rear Adm. Charles Kubic, said he was “working with the campaign to address this issue.” He said he expected a statement from the campaign headquarters this week.
Campaign spokeswoman Hope Hicks said Mr. Kubic was not advising the campaign on this issue. But another Trump representative, Katrina Pierson, confirmed the policy was being clarified. “Mr. Trump is going to be refining his policy, putting out specifics, which everyone’s been asking for,” she said on CNN.
Mr. Trump was tied with Mrs. Clinton, the presumptive Democratic nominee, in late May and now lags by more than 6 percentage points, according to the Real Clear Politics polling average. The latest Wall Street Journal/NBC News survey showed him with 41% support, compared with 46% for Mrs. Clinton.
Counter-terrorism and national-security experts who disagreed with a Muslim ban said a geographic immigration policy still raised concerns, because Mr. Trump so far had not detailed which countries would qualify and how he would measure their records on terrorism. Among the questions: Would it apply to Northern Ireland, which has weathered terror attacks that weren’t carried out by Islamic extremists, and Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of most of the 9/11 hijackers that is also a top American ally?
Typically, presidential candidates travel abroad to flaunt their foreign-policy chops, but Mr. Trump’s first trip overseas this past weekend was focused on promoting his new golf course in Scotland. When pressed by reporters for details on his national-security policies, Mr. Trump said he would block immigrants from “countries with great terrorism.” Muslims from Scotland or other parts of Great Britain “wouldn’t bother me,” he said.
Two of Mr. Trump’s foreign-policy advisers on Monday said they were unavailable for comment or didn’t have permission to speak to reporters.
Carl Paladino, the 2010 Republican gubernatorial nominee in New York and a top Trump supporter, said he didn’t think Mr. Trump was changing his national-security policy.
“I don’t think it was ever a ban directed at religion,” said Mr. Paladino, who attended a recent speech by Mr. Trump in Manhattan that focused on banning Syrian refugees who haven’t been properly vetted, rather than Muslims. (OP note: WHAT???)
He added: “Expecting a clear definition is a little bit much in the middle of a presidential campaign.”
Exit polls showed that large majorities of Republican primary voters and caucus-goers backed Mr. Trump’s proposal, made in December, to temporarily block Muslims from the U.S.
A Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll released Monday found that 49% of registered voters oppose a temporary Muslim ban, suggesting that the proposal could be an obstacle in the general election. Some 34% of voters supported the proposed ban. A number of top Republican leaders, including House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, denounced the proposal.
For Mr. Trump, retreating from the Muslim ban carries risks and rewards: He could alienate staunch, rank-and-file supporters but also could engender goodwill in a Republican political establishment still wary of his candidacy.
Mr. Trump’s supporters on Capitol Hill have discussed the confusion surrounding the issue in recent weeks and asked the campaign for clarifications, according to people familiar with the private meetings. Several members would prefer Mr. Trump replace his religious test with a geographic one, pointing to bipartisan legislation passed by the House last year that would suspend immigration from Syria and Iraq.
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, a prominent Trump supporter who is considered a potential running mate, said the candidate’s policy “may be evolving.”
“It may evolve as the facts evolve and as he learns more,” Mr. Gingrich said on Fox News Sunday. “He has changed things as he has learned more. He will keep changing.”
In December, days after the terrorist attack in San Bernardino, Calif., Mr. Trump called for “a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the U.S. until our country’s representatives can figure out what the hell is going on.”
His first television ad in January depicted images of the suspects in the San Bernardino attacks and of Islamic State militants and said, “That’s why he’s calling for a temporary shutdown of Muslims entering the United States.”
After Mr. Trump’s final two rivals withdrew from the GOP primary in May, his position on the Muslim ban appeared to soften. “This is just a suggestion until we find out what’s going on,” he told Fox News Radio.
In a June 13 speech billed as his response to the mass shootings in Orlando, Fla., Mr. Trump seemed to reinforce the Muslim ban. “I called for a ban after San Bernardino and was met with great scorn and anger, but now…many are saying that I was right to do so. And although the pause is temporary, we must find out what is going on,” he said at St. Anselm College in New Hampshire.
But then he added: “When I am elected, I will suspend immigration from areas of the world when there is a proven history of terrorism against the U.S., Europe or our allies, until we understand how to end these threats.”
The campaign didn’t answer requests for clarification at that time.
Terror attacks or attempted attacks against the U.S. and its European allies have been carried out in recent years by people from the U.S., Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Lebanon, United Arab Emirates, Nigeria, United Kingdom, Iraq, Syria, France and Belgium, among other places.
“If we’re just talking about jihadi terrorism, it’s a global movement, including inside the U.S.,” said Jessica Stern, a research professor and terrorism expert at Boston University’s Pardee School of Global Studies. “If we’re talking about every kind of terrorism, that’s even more the case.”
Mr. Trump has in the past moved to clarify some of his more controversial positions, particularly following blowback from national-security experts.
In March, following months of saying he would authorize the military to torture suspected terrorists, Mr. Trump said he wouldn’t direct anyone to violate the Geneva Conventions, which prohibit torture. Instead, he said he would work to change the Geneva Conventions, because, he said, governments need more flexibility to prevent terror attacks.
Muslim community leaders remain unconvinced that Mr. Trump’s policy is changing.
“I don’t know that he knows himself because it’s a minute-by-minute thing based on who is asking the question,” said Ibrahim Hooper, a spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
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MESS! Brianna Keilar was trying to get a straight answer out of a Trump surrogate about what any of this means or what countries are involved and she just talked in circles.
Also the Trump camp is saying this isn't a change in policy at all they've always thought this. His whole campaign is being very "We have always been at war with Eastasia" about this.