White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Tuesday that Donald Trump isn’t the only Republican who is trying to single out Muslims in the effort to reduce terrorist attacks against the United States.
Earnest called out former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie for making statements that the president also opposes.
“It was Gov. Bush who initially advocated for a religious test on individuals who were entering the country,” Earnest told reporters Tuesday during his daily press briefing. “It was Sen. Cruz who made the reference to enhanced surveillance of Muslim communities. It is Chris Christie who expressed concerns about admitting Syrian refugees to the United States.
“Unfortunately, it’s not about one politician in the Republican Party who is reacting out of fear and using language that the president is concerned could undermine our homeland security,” Earnest added.
Earlier Tuesday after a meeting with his national security team, Obama said he’s not afraid to call terrorists “radical Islamists,” but said the term wouldn’t change anything and instead could undermine key coalitions with Muslim countries that are part of the fight against the Islamic State.
“What exactly would using this label accomplish? What exactly would it change?” he said. “Is there a military strategy that is served by this? The answer is, none of the above. Calling a threat by a different name does not make it go away.
“This is a political distraction,” Obama said. “It’s a political talking point, it’s not a strategy.”
Obama never mentioned Trump’s name, but reporters and commentators said it was obvious that he was referring to him after Trump said after the Orlando attacks that the president should resign if he could not say radical Islamic terrorism was responsible.
The president’s frustration with Trump and other GOP critics was on full display Tuesday. Earnest said Obama is “quite passionate” about the issue because, as commander in chief, he twice took an oath to protect the American people and he believes the Republican Party is “reacting out of fear” and using language that plays into Islamic State propaganda about waging jihad against the west.
