Donald Trump would "strongly consider" shutting down American mosques to increase security

He relied on abjectly unspecific examples of radical Muslim clerics in NYC to justify his "strong consideration"

Published November 16, 2015 3:25PM (EST)

Donald Trump (AP/Nati Harnik)
Donald Trump (AP/Nati Harnik)

GOP presidential hopeful Donald Trump appeared on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" and proposed what might strike some as a fairly un-American means of increasingly national security -- abridging the First Amendment rights of Muslims to gather and practice their religion.

"From what I heard in the old days," he said, specifically adding, "meaning a while ago, we had great surveillance going on in and around mosques in New York City and I understand our mayor totally cut that out."

"I heard that under the old regime," he continued -- apparently enamored of the debate technique of repeating the exact same thing, only with different words -- "we had tremendous surveillance going on in and around the mosques of New York City. And right now, that's been totally cut out."

When host Joe Scarborough asked whether that would entail closing mosques whose Imams are believed to be radicals and/or radicalizing their followers, Trump replied that "I would hate it do it, but it's something that you're going to have to strongly consider, because some of the ideas and some of the hatred -- the absolute hatred -- is coming from these areas and you know, in New York City as an example."

"We had a group of people from what I understand," he continued -- again adhering to the highest standards of specificity -- "that really knew what they were doing, that were really studying the situation and they're not doing that anymore."

Watch the entire interview below via MSNBC.

First To Last: Trump's Tired Act


By Scott Eric Kaufman

MORE FROM Scott Eric Kaufman


Related Topics ------------------------------------------

9/11 Aol_on Donald Trump Elections 2016 Islamophobia Joe Scarborough Morning Joe Msnbc New York City Video