WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, after GOP Presidential candidate Donald Trump proposed to ban all Muslims from entering the U.S., Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley strongly condemned the proposal on the Senate floor, calling it “the single worst idea I have heard from any presidential candidate, ever.”
Merkley denounced Trump’s proposal, which would even seek to bar active duty American servicemembers of the Muslim faith serving abroad and other citizens from returning home, as inconsistent with the vision of the Constitution. He noted that patriotic Americans of all religions are working together to defeat the threat posed by ISIS.
Merkley also blasted Trump’s idea for endangering national security. “Making Islam the enemy is playing straight out of ISIS’s playbook,” Merkley said, “which wants to create a war between America and Islam. And in that sense, this type of irresponsible statement endangers our national security.”
Video of Merkley’s remarks is available here.
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