Donald Trump says that he would reintroduce his Muslim travel ban as violence deepens in the Middle East after the brutal Hamas attack on Israel.
“As president, I will once again stand strongly with the state of Israel, and we will cut off the money to the terrorists on day one,” said Mr Trump, who is leading the race to be the Republican 20204 nominee.
And he told a campaign rally in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire, on Monday that he would “reimpose the travel ban on terror-afflicted countries.”
Mr Trump imposed a similar ban on people from seven countries entering the US after taking office in 2017, and spouted anti-Muslim rhetoric during the 2016 campaign.
The former president claimed during the rally on Monday that “tens of thousands of probable terrorists” had entered the US since Joe Biden rescinded the travel ban.
“I don’t like talking about it, but now I can. I went four years without a problem, four years,” claimed Mr Trump.
“Because I have a travel ban. And the Islamic terrorists weren’t allowed. It was very tough for them.”
“The bloodshed and killing we saw this week will never, ever be allowed to happen on American soil,” he added. “Except for the fact that we have now allowed tens of thousands of probable terrorists into this country.”
Mr Trump claimed without providing any evidence that the “same people that attacked Israel” are entering the US through its southern border with Mexico.
More than 1,600 people have been killed since Hamas launched its bloody surprise attack on Israel from Gaza on Saturday.
The FBI said on Monday that there was no “specific and credible intelligence indicating a threat to the United States stemming from the Hamas attacks in Israel.”
