Just when media outlets didn't think Donald Trump could say anything more incendiary than he already has, the Republican presidential front-runner on Monday called for all Muslims to be banned from entering the United States.
The statement, first thought of as a hoax when it was emailed to reporters, calls for a sweeping policy that would "temporarily" stop Muslims from entering "until our country's representatives can figure out what is going on." Trump didn't elaborate on whether that mean banning those who are U.S. citizens from re-entry, nor how he would carry out such legislation.
Trump defends his stance at a rally in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina where he said he didn't know if Muslims loved or hated Americans. "We're out of control; we have no idea who is coming into our country," Trump said. "I want ISIS to surrender."
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie was among the presidential candidates to swiftly denounce Trump's proposal. During an appearance on the Michael Medved radio show, Christie said Americans should be reaching out to the Muslim community, especially those who actively help in fighting terrorist organizations like ISIS.
"This is the kind of thing that people say when they have no experience and don't know what they are talking about. We do not need to resort to that type of activity nor should we," Christie said. "What we need to do is to increase our intelligence activities. We need to cooperate with peaceful Muslim Americans who want to give us intelligence against those who are radicalized."
Former vice president Dick Cheney, a staunch disputant of how the Obama administration is handling ISIS, also condemned Trump's strategy, telling conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt that it goes against everything Americans "stand for and believe in.
"I mean, religious freedom has been a very important part of our history and where we came from," Cheney added.
Social media users from all sides of the political spectrum agreed, some unsurprised while others pointed to a double-standard in Trump's proposal.
. @realDonaldTrump Mr. Trump, what if the American Muslim soldiers who died in wars had survived? Would they have come home and killed me?