Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton spar over response to bombings
Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. Credit: AFP / Getty Images / File
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on Monday called for the use of racial “profiling” to capture suspected terrorists, while Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton denounced his response to Saturday’s explosions in New York and New Jersey as “reckless rhetoric” that was fueling the Islamic State terrorist group.
The presidential hopefuls offered competing counterterrorism visions in the wake of Saturday’s bombings in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan, and in Seaside Park, New Jersey — Clinton, the former secretary of state, billed herself as experienced on national security issues and Trump portrayed himself as eager to “knock the hell out of” terrorists.
During a Monday morning interview on the “Fox and Friends” morning talk show, Trump criticized the nation’s counterterrorism efforts under the Obama administration as weak and “gentle,” and suggested law enforcement agencies should be allowed to racially profile individuals.
“We don’t wanna do any profiling,” Trump said. “If somebody looks like he’s got a massive bomb on his back, we won’t go up to that person . . . because if he looks like he comes from that part of the world, we’re not allowed to profile. Give me a break.”
Clinton, at a news conference in White Plains, sought to cast Trump as “irresponsible,” and not capable of making complicated national security decisions. She said his rhetoric “has been seized on by terrorists, including ISIS, because they are looking to make this a war against Islam.”
“I am the only candidate in this race who has been part of the hard decisions to take terrorists off the battlefield,” Clinton said touting her experience leading the state department.
Both candidates spoke hours before Ahmad Khan Rahami, 28, a naturalized U.S. citizen born in Afghanistan, was taken into police custody for questioning in the pair of bombings.
Laura Figueroa Hernandez is the White House correspondent and previously covered New York City politics and government. She joined Newsday in 2012 after covering state and local politics for The Miami Herald.
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