A statement that the Trump campaign issued proposing a total ban on the immigration of Muslims to the United States has disappeared from the team’s website, reports ABC News.
“Donald J. Trump is calling for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country’s representatives can figure out what is going on,” Trump said on his website on Dec. 7, 2015. “According to Pew Research, among others, there is great hatred toward Americans by large segments of the Muslim population.”
The call sparked a furious backlash from opponents and claims of racism and xenophobia.
“Without looking at the various polling data, it is obvious to anybody the hatred is beyond comprehension. Where this hatred comes from and why we will have to determine,” Trump said in the statement. “Until we are able to determine and understand this problem and the dangerous threat it poses, our country cannot be the victims of horrendous attacks by people that believe only in Jihad, and have no sense of reason or respect for human life.”
On the campaign trail, the president-elect at one point appeared to alter the call, saying that the ban should be on immigration from countries with connections to terrorism and not Muslims specifically.
While he continued to advocate for stopping the Syrian refugee problem until the end of the campaign, the rhetoric about the Muslim ban had disappeared by the end.
The page, which now redirects to the campaign homepage, appeared on his website until at least Nov. 5, just days before Election Day.
Agencies/Canadajournal