PHILADELPHIA — Minnesota Rep. Keith Ellison urged Muslims at the Democratic convention to unite behind Hillary Clinton, and said they should fear what Donald Trump might do as president if Clinton loses.
Ellison, the first Muslim to ever be elected to Congress, spoke at the American Muslim Democratic Caucus lunch on Thursday and said Clinton wasn’t his first choice, but that she was now the only real choice.
“As a firm and fervent fighter for Bernie Sanders, I’m now supporting Hillary Clinton and I hope you agree with me,” Ellison said. “If we’re comparing Hillary Clinton to perfection, she doesn’t win. If she’s compared to Donald Trump, she wins by ten gazillion points.”
Ellison’s fear went beyond Trump and his pledge to ban all Muslims from entering the United States. The Democratic congressman also painted much of the Republican Party as opposed to practicing Muslims.
“It’s not just Trump,” Ellison said. “You and I both know Ted Cruz had Frank Gaffney on his staff. You and I both know that Ben Carson got up there and said no Muslim can ever be president. You know Marco Rubio said the same thing, we could go on.”
Gaffney, who served as an assistant secretary of defense in the Reagan administration and a national security adviser to Cruz, courted controversy for previously suggesting “there is evidence Mr. Obama was born in Kenya.”
Ellison, an outspoken progressive member of Congress, spared no opportunity to trash Trump while onstage. He chastised Trump’s appeal to voters with a message of “religious hate” and “ethnic bigotry.” Ellison was joined by fellow Democratic congressmen Al Green of Texas and Andre Carson of Indiana at Thursday’s lunch.
Sanders was scheduled to speak at the same event, but did not attend.
