Trump Calls for Banning Muslims From Entering the Country

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BREAKING: Donald J. Trump is calling for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States pic.twitter.com/FJxRSrVE92

— Katy Tur (@KatyTurNBC) December 7, 2015

Republican front-runner Donald Trump is calling for the “total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States,” according to a statement his campaign sent to reporters on Monday.

Trump cites a poll finding that “25% of those polled agreed that violence against Americans here in the United States is justified as a part of the global jihad.” That poll, a survey of 600 Muslims, came from the Center for Security Policy (CSP), a Washington-based think tank run by former Ronald Reagan official Frank Gaffney (who once said that CIA Director David Petraeus was a slave to Islamic Shariah law). Shortly after it was published, the integrity of the poll was debunked by the Huffington Post, which critiqued its loaded questions and exaggerated conclusions.

Trump, who has recently supported the profiling and tracking of Muslim citizens, doubled down in his statement on Monday.

“Without looking at the various polling data, it is obvious to anybody the hatred is beyond comprehension,” Trump wrote. “Until we are able to determine and understand this problem and the dangerous threat it poses, our country cannot be the victims of horrendous attacks by people that believe only in Jihad, and have no sense of reason or respect for human life.”

According to Corey Lewandowski, Trump’s campaign manager, the ban would apply to everyone, including tourists.

Trump’s Muslim ban would apply to “everybody,” including tourists, @CLewandowski_ tells AP https://t.co/dmjE8SBXex

— Philip Rucker (@PhilipRucker) December 7, 2015

Shortly after issuing the release, Trump tweeted that the United States must be “vigilant” about the “extraordinary influx of hatred and danger” entering the country.

Just put out a very important policy statement on the extraordinary influx of hatred & danger coming into our country. We must be vigilant!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 7, 2015