One GOP lawmaker is calling on Donald Trump to withdraw his candidacy for president after the real estate mogul called for banning all Muslims from entering the United States.
In a House floor speech Tuesday morning, Rep. David Jolly (R-Fla.) said Trump, who is leading in most GOP primary polls, should drop out.
“It is time that my side of the aisle has one less candidate in the race for the White House. It is time for Donald Trump to withdraw from the race,” Jolly said.
{mosads}”We must always insist on a security test. But we must never require a religious test,” he added.
Jolly, who has served in the House since 2014, has endorsed former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush for president. He is running in a five-way GOP primary for Marco Rubio’s Senate seat in 2016.
Jolly warned that Trump could threaten the constitutional freedom of religion if he were to become president.
“I’m a born-again Christian. I believe in the saving grace of the Jesus Christ that I call my God. And the beautiful thing about this country is I can stand here on the House floor among my peers and in front of the nation and declare that faith without fear of any reprisal,” he said.
“But if Donald Trump has his way, we may not have the liberty to do that anymore.”
Jolly’s call for Trump to depart the race marks the strongest rebuke yet from a Republican lawmaker.
Trump on Monday called for a “total and complete shutdown” on all Muslims entering the U.S. in the aftermath of recent terror attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, Calif.
Trump’s comments have drawn swift condemnation from the White House, Democrats and virtually all fellow Republican presidential candidates.
Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) also denounced Trump’s proposal, telling fellow House Republicans at a Tuesday morning meeting, “This is not who we are as a party or a country.”
Despite the overwhelming rejection from most GOP party leaders, Trump continued to defend his proposal Tuesday morning and stressed the ban on Muslims would only be “temporary.”
ABC’s George Stephanopoulos asked Trump in an interview on “Good Morning America” whether he was bothered by comparisons to Hitler. “No,” Trump responded.