Fox News promotes Trump's use of London attack to push Muslim ban
Mike Huckabee: “You have to start taking this to them. You have to start screening people getting in”
Written by Media Matters Staff
Published
From the September 15 edition of Fox News' America's Newsroom:
BILL HEMMER (CO-HOST): President Trump tweeting, “Another attack in London by a loser terrorist. These are sick and demented people who were in the sights of Scotland Yard. Must be proactive!” Mike Huckabee, former Arkansas governor and a Fox News contributor. Immediate reaction first off on the fifth attack in England this year alone, sir.
MIKE HUCKABEE: You know, they have to be getting to the place where they realize that terrorism is alive and well. Same song, second verse, this time fifth verse. People are genuinely afraid to do the most basic things, whether to go shopping or go to work, because in this case you have terrorists who are going after people like children. And there's nothing worse than the fear of just doing your everyday activities.
So, I think the president is exactly right. You have to start taking this to them. You have to start screening people getting in and then watching what they are getting on the internet. And the internet companies have to take a stronger position of filtering the ability of these people to recruit and to train through social media.
HEMMER: He's delivered that message as well. Come back to the comment about Scotland Yard. Theresa May, the British prime minister -- apparently there's a phone call that we think may have happened in the past hour between the president and the British prime minister, because he made that comment in the Rose Garden a moment ago. She was asked about his reference to Scotland Yard a short time ago, and I don't think she liked it.
[...]
HEMMER: Suggestion and all that, governor, is that the president jumped the gun when he mentions Scotland Yard. What do you make of that?
HUCKABEE: Well, I mean, I think it's a legitimate point on his part to make. Scotland Yard will be the ones who will be investigating it. Certainly, Theresa May is going to be very sensitive about this. I understand it.
Biggest issue for everybody: Who did it, why did they do it, how do we stop it? And, I think, letting the politicians point fingers is one thing, but ultimately, you got to start going to the source of this stuff, and it's radical Islam and the hatred people have toward people and freedom. And we've just reached the point where we have to say enough is enough on this stuff.
HEMMER: Well, he's also saying the travel ban is not tough enough. Expect more on that, I believe. Right, governor?
HUCKABEE: I would think so. And I think it, again, embarrasses these courts and the people on the far left who think open borders is a good idea. It certainly is not a good idea in Europe. Look, all over Europe whether it's Barcelona, Paris, Brussels, London, there's no safe place. Europe is becoming a very frightening place to be for many people because the open borders are simply not working.
And then when you add to that the idea that we don't want to say anything unkind about people's religion-- well, at least if they are Muslim. And frankly, this is not a Muslim issue; this is a terrorist issue, which people have co-opted Islam and made it their justification for killing people. And so we need to join with people of the Islamic faith in saying this is unacceptable, this is not religion, this is fanaticism, and it's evil.
Previously:
Sean Hannity resurrects the myth of Muslim “no-go zones,” a lie Fox was forced to correct in 2015
This one segment shows how differently Fox treats Christians and Muslims when it comes to terrorism