Hillary Clinton on Tuesday denounced in an online post Donald Trump’s call for “a total and complete shutdown” of Muslims entering the United States, saying the Republican presidential front-runner is “playing right into” the hands of terrorists.
“It’s a shameful idea. It’s also dangerous,” Clinton said of the idea Trump proposed Monday in a written statement, adding, “At a time when America should be doing everything we can to fight radical jihadists, Mr. Trump is supplying them with new propaganda.”
Trump is capitalizing on the growing fear of terrorism in the U.S. following the mass shooting in San Bernardino, California, in which a couple killed 14 people and injured 21 more. The FBI said Monday the two had been radicalized “for quite some time.”
Though most of the GOP presidential candidates have condemned Trump’s proposal, Clinton argued that Republicans – including Ben Carson, Sen. Marco Rubio, Jeb Bush, Sen. Ted Cruz and Gov. Chris Christie – have proposed similarly inflammatory ideas and said “extreme things” about the Muslim people.
“When you take a step back and see what the Republican field as a whole says about Muslims — not just one or two candidates for President, but nearly all of them — it’s hard to take seriously their attempts to distance themselves from Mr. Trump. He’s just articulating the logical conclusion of what the rest of them have been saying,” she said. “That should concern all of us.”
In months past, Clinton hasn’t hesitated to blast Trump on his controversial comments, often referring to the rest of the Republican field as Trump “without the pizzazz or the hair.”
On Tuesday, she had a specific message for Muslim-Americans: “What you’re hearing from Trump and other Republicans is absolutely, unequivocally wrong. It’s inconsistent with our values as a nation — a nation which you are helping to build. This is your country, too. I’m proud to be your fellow American. And many, many other Americans feel the same way.”Many Democrats were quick to fundraise off of Trump’s comments. Top Clinton aide Huma Abedin sent a fundraising email Monday night saying, “
“I’m a proud Muslim – but you don’t have to share my faith to share my disgust,” Abedin said. “Trump wants to literally write racism into our law books. His Islamophobia doesn’t reflect our nation’s values – it goes far enough to damage our country’s reputation and could even threaten our national security.”
The Democratic field is united in its disapproval of Trump’s proposal. Former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley called Trump “a fascist demagogue” and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders said, “We are a weak nation when we allow racism and xenophobia to divide us.”
On Tuesday, Clinton’s social media accounts featured a new motto, “Love trumps hate,” which is now being sold as a sticker on the campaign’s official website.
This article originally appeared on MSNBC.com.
