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White House says Trump's remarks on Muslims 'disqualify' him from presidential race

The White House has said Donald Trump’s calls for a “total and complete shutdown of M...
Newstalk
Newstalk

20.45 8 Dec 2015


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White House says Trump&#39...

White House says Trump's remarks on Muslims 'disqualify' him from presidential race

Newstalk
Newstalk

20.45 8 Dec 2015


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The White House has said Donald Trump’s calls for a “total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States” should disqualify him from running for the position of President of the United States.

White House press secretary Josh Earnest said Trump’s remarks were “offensive and toxic” and by opposing the US constitution thereby should disqualify him from contending the race to the White House.

Trump called for the ban, on Monday, on the grounds, he says, the US is “at war” with Islamic extremists.

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"What Donald Trump said yesterday disqualifies him from serving as president," Earnest said, adding that the remarks, and call for banning people from the US on grounds of their religion “run counter to the Constitution.”

“The fact is, the first thing a president does when he or she takes the oath of office is to swear an oath to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States.

“And the fact is, what Donald Trump said yesterday disqualifies him from serving as president,” he said.

"What he said is disqualifying and any Republican who's too fearful of the Republican base to admit it has no business serving as president either," Earnest added.

Trump’s campaign has a “dustbin of history quality” and Trump himself is a “carnival barker” Mr Earnest said.

Trump today refused to row back on his remarks, telling the ABC Good Mroning America show "We are now at war. We have a president who doesn't want to say that."

Trump also claimed parts of London have become too dangerous for police due to the Muslim population.

London's Mayor Boris Johnson described Donald Trump's comments about the city as "complete and utter nonsense."

Several of Mr Trump's Republican rivals have heaped criticism on his remarks, including Jeb Bush, who suggested the tycoon was "unhinged".

Lindsey Graham, another Republican White House hopeful, branded Mr Trump a "xenophobic, race-baiting, religious bigot".

In a rare intervention in US politics, the prime ministers of the UK and France and the United Nations secretary general also denounced Mr Trump's remarks.

A spokeswoman for British Prime Minister David Cameron said Mr Trump's comments were "divisive, unhelpful and quite simply wrong".

Officials with the Council on American-Islamic Relations were quick to pillory the proposal, saying it entered into the "realm of the fascist".

Even Harry Potter author JK Rowling chimed in, writing on Twitter that Voldemort, the arch villain of her series, "was nowhere near as bad" as Mr Trump.

Additional reporting from IRN


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