American Muslims praise Biden after he says ‘inshallah’ during Trump tax discussion

American Muslims took to Twitter to praise Democratic nominee Joe Biden after he used the Arabic word “inshallah” during a discussion on President Trump’s tax returns during the first presidential debate Tuesday night. 

The remark came after the debate moderator, Fox News’s Chris Wallace, asked Trump to comment on recent New York Times reporting that the president paid only $750 in federal income taxes per year in 2016 and 2017. 

“I’ve paid millions of dollars, and you’ll get to see it,” Trump said, implying that his tax returns would eventually be made available to the public. 

“When?” Biden asked. 

The former vice president then added, as his campaign later confirmed to NPR, “inshallah,” an Arabic word that translates to “God willing” or “if God wills it.” 

American Muslims and others praised Biden on social media, pointing out that the vice president used it in its widely known sarcastic meaning as a way for someone to not fully commit to something they may be hesitant to do. 

Some claimed Biden’s remark had inclusionary significance for American Muslims, with Buzzfeed News immigration reporter Hamed Aleaziz tweeting that it was “a historic moment in America.” 

Others, however, criticized Biden’s comical use of the word, which refers to the Muslim belief that nothing will occur unless God wills it to be done. 

Biden’s use of inshallah was kinda colonial and derogatory if you ask me,” journalist Tamer El-Ghobashy said in a tweet

Trump has faced continued criticism from Democrats following the Times’s report on his taxes, with Biden’s campaign releasing a “Trump tax calculator” on its website to allow users to enter the amount they paid in 2017 and produces the number minus $750.

Trump has since denied the reporting, calling it “fake news” and adding that his tax returns will eventually “all be revealed.” 

The president has consistently resisted releasing his tax returns to the public, a decades-long tradition among presidential candidates, with Trump citing an ongoing IRS audit as his reasoning for not yet making the documents widely available. 

Tags 2020 Biden campaign 2020 presidential debate American Muslims Chris Wallace Donald Trump Donald Trump Joe Biden New York Times Twitter

Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Regular the hill posts

Main Area Top ↴
Main Area Bottom ↴

Most Popular

Load more