Hillary Clinton: GOP Candidates Are ‘Inciting Bigotry And Violence’
Hillary Clinton has torn into GOP rivals Donald Trump and Ted Cruz for their responses to Tuesday’s terror attacks in Brussels, calling the pair “wrong” and “dangerous.”
Clinton argued the right-wing presidential hopefuls were attempting to “incite more fear” by politicizing the atrocities that left at least 34 dead.
The scathing comments were made as Clinton spoke to a rally of supporters at Rainier Beach High School in Seattle, where she acknowledged her victory in Tuesday night’s Democratic primary in Arizona.
“The last thing we need are leaders who incite more fear,” she said. “In the face of terror, America doesn’t panic. We don’t build walls or turn our backs on our allies. We can’t throw out everything that we know about what works and what doesn’t and start torturing people.”
We need a president who can provide leadership that’s strong, smart, and steady. The last thing we need are leaders who incite more fear.
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) March 23, 2016
Earlier in the day, Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump had indulged reporters with a massive rant insinuating President Obama’s foreign policy was to blame for the attacks – which he said were reason enough for the US to cut back its role in NATO.
Trump then went on to reiterate his support for the torture of terror suspects.
Do you all remember how beautiful and safe a place Brussels was. Not anymore, it is from a different world! U.S. must be vigilant and smart!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 22, 2016
“You look at what just took place in Brussels, and that’s peanuts compared to what’s going to happen,” he told CBS. “Because we’re not tough enough, and frankly, our leaders aren’t smart enough. We have to have very strong borders.”
Against all odds, the bullish candidate then used the catastrophic event as a springboard to call for a crackdown on immigration.
“We have no idea what’s happening. Our government has absolutely no idea what’s happening, but they’re coming into our country,” Trump said. “They’re coming in by the thousands and just watch what happens — I’m a pretty good prognosticator — just watch what happens over the years. It won’t be pretty.”
“We need to empower law enforcement to patrol and secure Muslim neighborhoods before they become radicalized,” he said in a statement.
Cruz then took to social media to echo Trump’s assertions that President Obama was somehow to blame for Tuesday’s attacks in Brussels.
Radical Islam is at war with us. For over 7 years we have had a president who refuses to acknowledge this reality https://t.co/oeEKpWKbN6
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) March 22, 2016
According to Hillary Clinton, the comments served as a crucial reminder that neither GOP candidate truly understands how to keep the American people safe.
“What Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, and others are suggesting is not only wrong,” she said. “It’s dangerous. It will not keep us safe. This is a time for America to lead, not cower, and we will lead, and we will defeat terrorists that threaten our friends and allies.”
Clinton also used her victory speech last night to call on her supporters to demonstrate empathy and positivity in the wake of a recent spate of violent moments at various other presidential rallies.
“Sometimes when all we see is the ugliness of these protests, the mean-spiritedness, when we see people who are running for president of the United States who are literally inciting bigotry and violence, it’s easy to say, ‘You know, I’m not even going to pay attention to that.’ But what I want you to know is we’ve got to reclaim the promise of America for all of our people – every single one of them.”
Although Clinton came out on top in Arizona Tuesday night, party rival Bernie Sanders locked down victories of his own in Idaho and Utah.
Clinton’s total delegate count, including super delegates, now stands at 1,681. Sanders is trailing with 927 delegates. That said, at least 2,383 delegates are needed in order to secure the Democratic Party nomination this summer.
According to pollsters at RealClearPolitics, Clinton now commands a seven-point lead over Sanders nationwide. Meanwhile, Trump continues to dominate the Republican field with a 13.5 percent lead over rivals Ted Cruz and Ohio Governor John Kasich.
[Photo by Stephen Brashear/Getty Images]
