OXON HILL, Md. — Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker has walked back a remark in which he equated pro-union protesters in Wisconsin with the Islamic State.
Speaking to a crowd at the Conservative Political Action Conference on Thursday, Walker was asked how he would address national security threats including the Islamic State.
“I want a commander in chief who will do everything in their power to ensure that the threat from radical Islamic terrorists does not wash up on American soil,” Walker said. “If I can take on 100,000 protesters, I can do the same across the world.”
After the comment sparked blowback, Walker said later he did not mean to equate the protestors in Wisconsin, who opposed Walker’s move to limit collective bargaining, with terrorists.
“My point was just, if I could handle that kind of a pressure and kind of intensity, I think I’m up for the challenge for whatever might come, if I choose to run for president,” Walker clarified to Bloomberg Politics.
Walker, who has suddenly found himself among the top tier of likely Republican candidates for president, has attempted in recent weeks to formulate a cogent case for his foreign policy credentials, but his efforts have been overshadowed by a series of missteps. During a trade mission to London on behalf of Wisconsin, Walker made headlines not for his meetings with foreign officials, but for dodging a question on evolution.
