In Iowa, Trump calls for vigilance on accepting refugees
Council Bluffs, Ia. – Donald Trump, campaigning in Council Bluffs Tuesday night, warned that accepting Syrian refugees into the United States could be like allowing foreign armies to build support within the country.
“It’ll never stop,” he said of the number of refugees admitted to the U.S. “And then one day we may have a small army in here. Or a big army in here. … I mean it’s, like, genius. It’s one of the greatest military strategies I’ve ever heard of. It truly is. It’s going to make the old Trojan horse, like, that’s peanuts compared to what they did to our country.”
He urged the couple thousand attendees – many of whom had crossed into Iowa from neighboring Nebraska – that the U.S. and its leaders must remain vigilant to protect the country from terror attacks.
Trump also lamented that the United States doesn’t accept Christian refugees into its borders.
“We take only the Muslims,” he said. “And you know what? Hey, that’s the way it is. OK? But we don’t take Christians. Now the Christians, they’re all in trouble over there. It’s a hellhole. The Christians are having their heads cut off. They’re having their heads – we don’t take the Christians. And if you’re Christian it’s almost impossible to get into this country. But if you’re Muslim you can come in.”
According to FactCheck.org, about 3 percent of the Syrian refugees admitted to the country since 2011 are Christians. And according to the Pew Research Center, 68 percent of all immigrants to the U.S. identify as Christian.
Trump also criticized his Democratic rivals, calling Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders more of a communist than a socialist and belittling his crowd sizes as inferior.
“Can you imagine?” Trump said of the possibility of former Secretaru of State Hillary Clinton as president. “Believe me. Women – if it’s got to be a woman, which I’m all in favor of some day – it shouldn’t be Hillary.”
Jay Johnsen, a farmer from Logan, Iowa, said he plans to caucus this year and probably will caucus for Trump.
“He’s operating on his own money and he’s kind of old school. Similar to Ronny Reagan or something,” Johnsen said. “Ain’t phony like the rest of them. … He’ll stand up to people. That’s what I like.”
AT THE EVENT
SETTING: The event was held at the Mid-America Center in Council Bluffs.
CROWD: Trump was campaigning in Iowa, but much of the crowd consisted of Nebraskans who had made the short trip across the border to hear him speak. The room erupted in applause when Trump asked how many people were from Nebraska.
REACTION: Some of the largest cheers of the night came when Trump said that he is best equipped to handle the Islamic State terror group. “They know these politicians are all talk, no action," he said. "It’s just all bulls***, OK?”
WHAT’S NEXT: This was the only stop of Trump’s trip to Iowa, but he said he plans to campaign heavily here in the month leading up to the caucuses. Check DesMoinesRegister.com/candidatetracker for more details.