Democratic Presidential nominee Hillary Clinton on Wednesday slammed her Republican rival Donald Trump’s “shameful” comments that allegedly suggested that President Barack Obama was siding with terrorists.
“What Donald Trump is saying is shameful. It is disrespectful to the people who were killed and wounded, and their families. And it is yet more evidence that he is temperamentally unfit and totally unqualified to be Commander-in-Chief,” Ms. Clinton told her supporters in Pittsburgh.
‘Dangerous rhetoric’
In her hard hitting speech, Ms. Clinton urged the Republican leadership to rebuke this “dangerous rhetoric.”
“Will responsible Republican leaders stand up to their presumptive nominee or will they stand by his accusation about our President? History will remember what we do in this moment. Americans don’t need conspiracy theories and pathological self-congratulations. We need leadership, common sense and concrete plans,” she said.
‘Trump lied Obama was an outsider’
“Of course, he [Trump] is a leader of the birther movement, which spread the lie that President Obama wasn’t born in the United States. I guess he had to be reminded Hawaii is part of the United States,” Ms. Clinton continued.
“This is the man who claimed a distinguished federal judge born and raised in Indiana can’t do his job because of his quote — ‘Mexican heritage.’ I guess he has to be reminded Indiana is in the United States,” she said.
‘Ok for TV, not for national stage’
“So maybe we shouldn’t be surprised. But it was one thing when he was a reality TV personality. You know, raising his arms and yelling, you’re fired. It is another thing altogether when he’s the Republican Party’s presumptive nominee for President,” the former Secretary of State said.
Accusing Mr. Trump of being “fixated” on the words “radical Islam,” Ms. Clinton asked: “Is the GOP leader suggesting that there are magic words that, once uttered, will stop terrorists from coming after the U.S.?”
‘Obsession with name-calling’
“Trump, as usual, is obsessed with name-calling. From my perspective, it matters what we do, not just what we say. In the end, it didn’t matter what we called bin Laden — it mattered that we got bin Laden,” she said.
“I have clearly said that we face terrorist enemies who use a perverted version of Islam to justify slaughtering of innocent people. We have to stop them, and we will. So if Donald suggests I won’t call this threat what it is, he hasn’t been listening. But I will not demonize and declare war on an entire religion,” Ms. Clinton said.
‘Tackling IS more important’
“Because we are facing a brutal enemy, in the Middle East. The Islamic State is attempting genocide of religious and ethnic minorities. They’re slaughtering Muslims who refuse to accept their medieval ways. They are beheading civilians, including executing LGBT people; murdering Americans and Europeans; enslaving, torturing, and raping women and girls,” she argued.
Ms. Clinton alleged that Mr. Trump was telling and spreading lies.
‘He lied a lot about me’
“He said a lot of false things, including about me. He said I’ll abolish the Second Amendment. Well, that’s wrong. He said I’ll let a flood of refugees into our country without any screening. That’s also wrong,” she said.
“These are demonstrably lies. But he feels compelled to tell them — because he has to distract us from the fact that he has nothing substantive to say for himself,” she added.
‘Trouble-shooter, not trouble-maker, needed’
The U.S., she said, needs a commander-in-chief who is up to challenges — who can grapple with them in all their complexity — someone with real plans and real solutions that actually address the problems being face.
“And we need someone with the temperament and experience to make those hard choices in the Situation Room — not a loose cannon who could easily lead us into war. One more thing … Donald Trump has been very clear about what he won’t do. He won’t stand up to the gun lobby,” Ms. Clinton said.
What Trump had said
Hours after Mr. Obama blasted him for his anti-Muslim rhetoric, Mr. Trump on Wednesday at an election rally in Greensboro, North Carolina, hit back calling him a “lousy” President who he said “is more angry” at the Republican presidential nominee than the Orlando shooter.
“The level of anger, that’s the kind of anger he should have for the shooter and these killers that shouldn’t be here. We have a radical Islamic terrorism problem,” Mr. Trump said.
He was responding to Mr. Obama’s strong statement earlier in the day in which he slammed the real estate tycoon for his anti-Muslim rhetoric including temporary ban of entry of Muslims in the U.S., increase in surveillance and for describing it as “radical Islamic terrorism.”
“Don’t bracket entire community”
“Where does this stop? The Orlando killer, one of the San Bernardino killers, the Fort Hood killer — they were all U.S. citizens. Are we going to start treating all Muslim-Americans differently? Are we going to start subjecting them to special surveillance? Are we going to start discriminate them, because of their faith?” Mr. Obama had asked. However, Mr. Trump had stood his ground.
