Trump Delivers Speech Responding To Orlando Anti-LGBT Terror Attack

Trump Responds To Orlando Terror Attack By Reiterating His Proposed Muslim Ban. Presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump gave a speech responding to the June 12 Orlando, FL, massacre, in which a gunman stormed a gay nightclub and murdered 49 people, marking the deadliest mass shooting in American history. Trump reiterated his proposal to temporarily ban Muslim immigration, said he would ban immigration from countries where terrorism was a threat, and made blanket anti-Muslim statements. From The New York Times:

Donald J. Trump addressed the massacre in Orlando, Fla., on Monday, one day after the deadliest mass shooting in American history, as part of a broader national security speech in Manchester, N.H., where he also contrasted himself with Hillary Clinton.

Here are the highlights from Mr. Trump’s speech:

[...]

• As his first policy proposal if elected president, Mr. Trump reiterated his plan to temporarily ban Muslim immigration. He said in particular that he would ban immigration from countries where terrorism was a threat. He said, referring to the assailant in Orlando, that “thousands and thousands of people, many of whom have the same thought process as this savage killer” are pouring into the country, and that the ban “will be lifted when and as a nation we are in a position to properly and perfectly screen these people coming into our country.”

[...]

• Mr. Trump repeatedly framed the threat of terrorism in the realm of immigration, claiming that there were “hundreds of thousands” of Muslim immigrants who are coming into the United States unscreened. (The United States does indeed have a screening process.)

• Mr. Trump referred to himself as a better friend of women and the L.G.B.T. community than Hillary Clinton, referring to his immigration ban against Muslim immigrants as one against people “who reject our values.” While it was notable how far Mr. Trump went in his efforts to embrace the L.G.B.T. community, often using inclusive pronouns like “our” and “we,” he remains opposed to same-sex marriage.

• Making blanket statements against an entire religion, Mr. Trump said that the Muslim community “know (sic) what’s going on” regarding terrorism,” (sic) despite no evidence of that in the Orlando killings. He said the Muslim community had “to work with us.” He added: “They knew the person in San Bernardino was bad. They have to turn them in.” He was referring to theshooting in San Bernardino, Calif., last December when a Muslim couple shot and killed 14 people and wounded 22. [The New York Times, 6/13/16]

“The Scariest Political Speech”: Media Figures React With Horror

NPR’s Jessica Taylor: “‘There Were A Few Errors In That Speech’ Is The Understatement Of The Day.”

[Twitter.com, 6/13/16]

Huff. Post Political Reporter Paul Blumenthal: “Well, That Was Horrifying.”

[Twitter.com, 6/13/16]

Business Insider’s Josh Barro: “I Think This Is The Most Horrifying Speech Trump Has Ever Given, Which Is A High Bar.”

[Twitter.com, 6/13/16]

UN Dispatch’s Mark Leon Goldberg: “This Is The Scariest Political Speech I Have Ever Seen In America.”

[Twitter.com, 6/13/16]

Wash. Post’s Ishaan Tharoor: “This Trump Speech Is An Incredible Churning Witch’s Brew Of Ingredients Foraged From The Fever Swamps Of The Alt-Right.”

[Twitter.com, 6/13/16]

National Journal’s Norman Ornstein: “Trump Is One Small Step From Recommending Waterboarding, Torture For Friends And Relatives Of Shooters.

[Twitter.com, 6/13/16]

Daily Beast Correspondent Tim Mak: Trump’s Speech Was “Incomprehensible.”

[Twitter.com, 6/13/16]

Slate’s Isaac Chotiner: “Any Person Not Terrified Of This Maniac Is Despicable, Dumb, Or Not Paying Enough Attention.”

[Twitter.com, 6/13/16]

Slate’s Isaac Chotiner: “Yup. This Feels Like Outright Fascism.”

[Twitter.com, 6/13/16]

Wash. Post’s Karen Attiah: “This Is Probably The Most Frightening Trump Speech I’ve Heard.”

[Twitter.com, 6/13/16]

MSNBC’s Cal Perry: “This Is An Incredibly Frightening Moment In American Political History.”

[Twitter.com, 6/13/16]

War On The Rocks Editor Lauren Katzenberg: “That. Was. Horrifying.”

[Twitter.com, 6/13/16]

Blogger Charles Johnson: “Every Trump Speech Is Horrifying, But He’s Now Entered The Realm Of Nightmarish.”

[Twitter.com, 6/13/16]