Clinton, Trump take opposite tacks as shooting shakes race
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, left, speaks at a news conference at the Trump National Golf Club Westchester in Briarcliff Manor, N.Y. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton speaks at a rally in Culver City, Calif. on June 3.
WASHINGTON >> In both style and substance, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton offered drastically different proposals today for stemming the threat of terrorism and gun violence that have Americans on edge following the deadly weekend attacks at a gay nightclub in Orlando.
Trump focused heavily on the nation’s broken immigration system in his fiery address, although the Orlando shooter was born in the United States. The presumptive Republican nominee redoubled his call for temporarily banning Muslims from the United States, saying he would lift the ban once the government could “properly and perfectly” screen immigrants.
Going further, Trump said he would also “suspend immigration from areas of the world where there’s a proven history of terrorism against the United States, Europe and our allies.” He did not specify what countries would be affected or whether the suspension would apply regardless of religion.
Clinton said she would prioritize stopping “lone wolf” attackers as president — those who may be radicalized without having direct contact or orders from a larger terror network. Overseas, the presumptive Democratic nominee called for ramping up the U.S. air campaign targeting the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria and pointedly called out U.S. partners in the region by name, saying Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar must stop their citizens from funding terrorism.
Clinton also vigorously reiterated her call for banning assault weapons, like one of the guns the Orlando shooter used.
“I believe weapons of war have no place on our streets,” she said.
Don't miss out on what's happening!
Stay in touch with top news, as it happens, conveniently in your email inbox. It's FREE!
Clinton’s address was measured and sober. While she drew implicit contrasts with Trump, she never mentioned him by name, declaring, “Today is not a day for politics.”
Trump felt differently, hammering Clinton repeatedly in his remarks. He accused her of wanting to abolish the Second Amendment — in connection with her proposals for tougher gun laws — and said she can’t claim to be supportive of gays and lesbians when she supports allowing immigration from countries where they are discriminated against.
“Hillary Clinton can never claim to be a friend of the gay community,” he said.
The businessman robustly defended the rights of gay and lesbian Americans, saying he would be a “better friend” to the community than Clinton. The assault at a gay nightclub was “an assault on the ability of free people to live their lives, love who they want and express their identity,” he said.
Trump’s embrace of gay and lesbian Americans was at odds with many in his own party, who oppose gay marriage and other legal protections.
The Orlando attacks were the worst mass shooting in American history, leaving 49 people dead and dozens more injured. Authorities say Omar Mateen, a 29-year-old American-born Muslim, was probably inspired by foreign terrorist organizations, though there was no evidence Monday that he had been directed by any network to carry out the attacks.
Trump said Mateen was “born an Afghan” despite having been born in New York. The shooter’s parents came to the U.S. from Afghanistan before he was born.
The Republican did not repeat suggestions he’d made in earlier television interviews that President Barack Obama may not be taking tougher action against terrorism because he sympathizes with the perpetrators.
“He doesn’t get it or, or he gets it better than anybody understands,” Trump said on Fox News Channel’s “Fox and Friends.” ”It’s one or the other. And either one is unacceptable.”
42 responses to “Clinton, Trump take opposite tacks as shooting shakes race”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Islam is just a dangerous religion because the Koran speaks with forked tongue. On one side exhorting believers to kill nonbelievers and on the other side pleading for peace. There can be no long-term co-existence with Muslims, their idea of a society is opposite to ours, and those here who act peaceful still have a below the surface smoldering dislike for us. Why do we want more of them in the USA? Are we masochists?
When the assault weapon ban was lifted by the Congress, the carnage started on the school children, the N.C. church goers, San Bernadino and Orlando Pulse.
All other issues (intelligence gathering, Islam, Gays, etc) about stopping the carnage is a waste of time.
Democrats = Millions of law-abiding gun owners in the US, but let’s go after guns (don’t talk about Islam). Republicans = Millions of Muslims in the US, but let’s focus on Muslims (don’t talk about gun control). I think the solution would be somewhere in the middle, but I’m not holding my breath.
Question: Without the assault rifle, how many would have been killed by the lone gunman in Orlando?
When the assault weapon ban was lifted by the Congress, the carnage started on the school children in Connecticut, the N.C. church goers, San Bernadino and Orlando Pulse.
Discussion of all other issues (intelligence gathering, Islam, Gays, etc) about stopping the carnage are just distractions and non-productive.
Congress must immediately reinstate the assault rifle ban and they should be voted out of office if they fail to do so.
As usual gun control PC Dems are clueless. You show total lack of understanding because you don’t know about guns and how they work. Its nice to use the term”assault” rifle/gun. However: 1) they are not automatic weapons. Like ALL other modern firearms you pull the trigger, it fires. You pull the trigger quickly it fires again. A pistol will do this too.At close range(in room, nightclub etc. you can’t miss.ALL the surviving people in this attack and others…”he fired, then re-loaded, then fired, then re-loaded…” The saddest part of all of this is that anyone else in the bldg. with a gun could have stopped him. There were no armed security, no street patrols in the area. no carry(it was a PC gun free zone. 0HINT gun free for the victims not the gunman!All criminals and terrorist know that these sanctuary gun-free zones means they can do whatever and whenever they want!
Life-ancient history: even shepards protecting their flocks had weapons to kill the predators!
What really killed these innocent people: Obama, white house Hillary etc=How:
a) PC means no sharing of info from FBI to Police=Terrorist could buy weapons) PC=no sharing of mental heath date= crazy terrorist could buy weapons)Pc=don’t say muslim or radical jihad=radical mosque and muslim sympathizers allowed terrorist to go unmarked until this assault.d0 PC=don’t profile or seek info on ISIS and radical US residents=Terrorist shoots 100+
This was NOT the Repubs, NRA or Trump…Wake-up
Calling it an “assault weapon” seems deliberately misleading.
You could just as well call it a “defense weapon”.
From what I read, these civilian weapons are semi-automatic.
The military version, which I believe is called the M16, is fully automatic.
I read that the civilian, AR-15, rifle is modified so that it cannot be converted to the military, fully automatic.
In any case, the guns have been with us for a long time. An intelligent question might be “what has changed in our society to make life so cheap”.
IRT Cricket: You did not answer the question-“Without the assault rifle, how many would have been killed by the lone gunman in Orlando?
Re hybrid 1
It is not an “assault weapon”, in the military sense. Read my post again.
As for your logic, it is bit like saying “without the car, how many would have been killed by drunk drivers?”
You don’t need a rifle etc. Glock(pistol magazines= 10-33 rounds…45 caliber colt 8 to 24 rounds. 2 large capacity glocks(most popular handgun, now, could kill 66 people without re-loading. The terrorist(unreported at the moment) could have entered with a back pack of easily 500 rounds and/or many loaded clips ready. All the people were shot because he had hours in the club, unchallenged, to shoot and reload at leisure. The police did not confront him in the club for hours!
P.S. And no, there is no confirmed report of any security guard shooting at him in the beginning
Trump is insane! All those who have been supporting him must be very angry about life, please seek professional help, we understand the hopelessness feeling that you’re experiencing. Please seek help.
If anyone you seem like you are on the edge…please don’t drive for a week or so.
Trump is correct–let’s look at the situations–in BOTH the Charleston church and the Orlando shootings, the “SUSPECTS” went through FBI checks and passed–while the FBI said they both had terrorist suspicions. The FBI is controlled ultimately by the President–why isn’t he cracking heads and getting this mess cleared–we don’t need new laws we need enforcement, we need people to do their jobs–and that’s what Trump is saying!!!
The FBI can’t pin the tail on the SOS donkey. How do you expect them to find terrorists.
Serious, excellent post. I agree with you and do reject 808Cindy’s post. And 808Cindy, mahalo for understanding the plight (hopelessness) Pres. Obama placed on all Americans.
Serious…right on topic!
““We can call it radical jihadism, we can call it radical Islamism,” Clinton said on CNN’s “New Day.””>>> But O’bama doesn’t, does he?
He doesn’t have to. Unlike Chump Obama’s terrorist body count is long and distinguished. He killed Osama, the leader of the Afghan Taliban, he killed the leader of AQ in the Arabian Peninsula, he expanded his drone war to places in Pakistan that were formerly off limits as well as to Yemen, Libya, Somalia, and Mali. By most accounts Obama has killed more terrorists that the number killed in the World Trade Center attacks. Hey Obama has even approved the killing of American citizens overseas who are supporting terrorist. The difference between Chump and Obama is that Chump is all talk, he has done NOTHING while Obama has been busy killing bad guys. Actions speak louder than words my friend, if Obama doesn’t say the words you like so what, the main thing is he keeps relentlessly killing the bad guys. Remember that, Chump = blow hard do nothing, Obama = hunter and killer of terrorist
I thought the navy seals killed Bin Laden? Now you’re saying it was Obama? When did the history get re-written?
He is the commander in chief you fool. He made the decision to go knowing thee was considerable risk. A less man would have called off the raid for fear of failure or alienating our Pakistani “allies”. Yea the Navy killed him alright, on orders from Obama.
Obama is an apologist for the terrorists.
Really the apologist who has expanded his drone killing program and has continued to kill terrorist far and wide. Go ask Osama if the President is an apologist – oh yeah you cant because he’s dead on Obama’s order. Some kind of apologist, you didn’t see Obama apologizing to the family of the American terrorists he killed in Yemen did he. Do your own research on Obama’s body count before calling his an “apologist”.
Worst president in US history?
Obama is #1.
http://www.thetoptens.com/worst-us-presidents/
Disgusting comments by Trump, whose first reaction was to humble brag that this tragedy is about him, that it proved that he is right. He wasn’t right about anything, again. If the Orlando shooter had been stopped and the West Hollywood shooter, who was stopped at the last minute by very lucky police work, had succeeded, would Trump have announced that he was wrong? Of course not. Trump and the rest of his party can’t bring themselves to say that this horrific act was a homophobic hate crime. They can’t even say, “LGBT.” It’s as if their mouths can’t form those letters. Republican Lt Governor of Texas even suggested that the victims got what they deserved. The party of hate, bigotry, misogyny and racism can hardly contain their glee as they race to turn this tragedy into an electoral silver bullet.
You appear to exhibit a pattern of delusional thinking known as “identification, in which your thought processes occur in a world of fabricated categories, mistaking them for reality.
The “isms” and “phobias’ which form the basis for your thinking, are perfect examples.
Trump, unlike many even in his own party, breaks through this. It is an existential threat to people who live in this kind of delusional world, which explains their reactive panic.
The FBI can’t pin the tail on the SOS donkey. How do you expect them to find terrorists.
Of the two Presidential Candidates: one is impulsively out of reasonable stance. The other is a smooth, articulated self-seeking politician without any regards to truth and dignity. The third has not much publicity and is ignored at this point in time by the majority but, somehow he has the making of an excellent Leader!
Indeed, the more mud striking mark only serves to further obscure the frontrunners, while an unscathed Johnson emerges spotless..
He is a master manipulator. Always pointing fingers at others to keep them on the defense. His tactics are divisive and pilau. Disappointing.
Seven disappointing years of this master manipulator will soon be over. “Make America Great Again”
The NIGHTMARE will be over. President Trump will prevail!
Right the same Chump who rented his estate in Westchester to Muammar Gaddafi, a known terrorist. That was a good one, first Chump, the man who says he knows everything that goes on in his businesses says he knew nothing about it, then after the county puledl the permit on Gaddafi’s tent, Chump claimed credit for stopping the little camp out. Classic Chumpsters, counting on the man who did business with terrorist to stop terrorism.
We are talking about the next President of the United States Donald Trump. Who is this Chump you are referring to?
Clinton word of the day.
Cheeseball-
Cheeseball is American slang for an unsavoury or contemptible person.
“What difference does it make if it was renting a tent or I had 4 Americans tortured and murdered and blamed it on a video for political ambition & to cover the WH okole..it’s done..all pau already!”
end quote hiLIARy for PRISONdent.
Hillary’s like…Thank God their not talking about RICO and how I’m stealing the nomination from Bernie. A couple of more Trumped up terror attacks and democracy will be forgotten.
Hillary Clinton, this Obama Clone, worries about the backlash against Muslims in this country instead of law abiding Ameircans who are gun owners to protect themselves, friends and family. If a few homosexuals or lesbians had carryied their personal weapon with them, this terrorist wouldn’t have had a free target practice on those in the club. Hillary Clinton is as weak or weaker than the Obama agenda she intents to continue if she is elected president (heaven fobid)
Donald Trump speaks the truth and liberals, most especially Democrats just don’t want to hear the truth. Donald was right on to say our Barack Hussien Obama should leave office now for not mentioning who is responsible for this massacre. I agree Obama should leave office and go to his real home in Chicago or is it Kenya.
@Blackmurano…there was an armed guard outside the club. He exchanged fire with the shooter outside the club, but the shooter managed to get inside anyway. If you’ve read accounts of what happened inside the club, he fired very quickly, and I doubt anyone w/a gun would’ve been able to do more than hit an innocent person, esp w/all the chaos, everybody running around and nightclubs not being very well lit to begin with.
Food for thought. Clintons in power can be the end of America of what our country constitution was based on. As Secretary of State and the contacts made by the two of them has created millions if not billions of dollars being funnelled to the Clinton’s foundation by wealthy people around the world and politicians who represent their country using their country’s money. Thus it makes the foundation questionable of its use.
The world order to have one world government is positioning itself to become a reality. There are those that have aligned themselves with this who are leaders in our government.
Can America survive 8 years of Obama and 16 years of Clinton?
Clinton fraud of the day-
Laureate University.
Fine, you don’t like Trump, and you don’t like Clinton… Why not forget them both and vote for the “person” who in very likely to appoint several Supreme Court Justices over the next 4 years. The SCJs will have a much greater say on our future over the next 40 years than who is in the White House for the next 4 years.
Stop vacillating between Trump and Clinton. Both have so much baggages it’s difficult to distinguish the good and the bad in them. Vote for Gary Johnson, the Presidential Candidate whose resume speaks of an American of good standing. We can’t do any better than Mr. Johnson.
I don’t follow the logic in Trump’s comment: “she [Clinton] can’t claim to be supportive of gays and lesbians when she supports allowing immigration from countries where they are discriminated against.” Maybe that discrimination is precisely why some people want to immigrate?