Trump pans ‘political correctness’ in post-Orlando address

by Ben Kamisar - 06/13/16 2:48 PM ET

Donald Trump ripped Hillary Clinton and President Obama for pushing policies and language that he said were making the U.S. less secure and increasing the likelihood of terrorist attacks on the homeland.

Speaking a day after 49 people were killed at an Orlando, Fla., nightclub by a gunman who pledged allegiance to the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), Trump put much of the blame on U.S. immigration policies that allowed the shooter’s parents to enter the country.

{mosads}He also criticized Obama and Clinton for arguing for stronger gun control laws, saying that would make terrorist acts more likely.

Trump, the presumptive GOP presidential nominee, said Obama and Clinton were putting “political correctness” above U.S. security in making their push. He also repeated his arguments that both should describe the U.S. as at war with radical Islam during his address at St. Anselm University in New Hampshire.

He specifically called on Obama to release “the full and complete immigration histories” of anyone implicated in terror activities since September 11, 2001, to better inform the public.

And he bashed Clinton, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, for failing to recognize the threat of radical Islamic terror, arguing that her “total denial and reluctance to ever name the enemy broadcasts weakness throughout the entire world.”

“She supports so much of what is wrong and what is wrong with this country and what is going wrong with this country and our borders. She has no clue, in my opinion, what radical Islam is, and she won’t speak honestly about it if she does in fact know,” he said.

“Hillary Clinton’s catastrophic immigration plan will bring vastly more radical Islamic immigration into this country, threatening not only our society but our entire way of life.

“This is a very dark moment in America’s history: A radical Islamic terrorist targeted the nightclub, not only because he wanted to kill Americans, but in order to execute gay and lesbian citizens for their sexual orientation,” he said. “It’s strike at the heart and soul of who we are as a nation. It’s an assault on the ability of free people to live their lives, love who they want and express their identity.”

He went on to attack Clinton for trying to have it both ways in supporting the LGBT community, arguing that she can’t consider herself an ally if she supports immigration policies that could allow potentially dangerous people into the country.

“Hillary Clinton can never claim to be a friend of the gay community as long as she continues to support immigration policies that bring Islamic extremists to our country and suppress women, gays and everyone else who shares their beliefs or values,” he said.

“Ask yourself, who is really the friend of women and the LGBT community: Donald Trump with his actions, or Hillary Clinton with her words?”

Tags Donald Trump Donald Trump Hillary Clinton Hillary Clinton Orlando nightclub shooting