Trump Rallies a Nation to Combat Terror

Donald Trump offered a clear and robust series of prescriptions to combat the threat of radical Islamic terrorism during a speech Monday afternoon in Youngstown, Ohio, differentiating himself clearly from what he called the failed leadership of President Obama and Hillary Clinton.

The GOP nominee indirectly blasted the pair for their lack of leadership in confronting the Islamic State. “Anyone who cannot name our enemy is not fit to lead this country,” Trump said, “Anyone who cannot condemn the hatred, oppression and violence of radical Islam lacks the moral clarity to serve as our president.”

“We will defeat radical Islamic terrorism, just as we have defeated every threat we have faced in every age before. But we will not defeat it with closed eyes, or silenced voices.”

Trump also sought to enlist ordinary Americans in the effort to defeat the Islamic State and asked to “begin a conversation about how to make America safe again.”

“We cannot let this evil continue. Nor can we let the hateful ideology of radical Islam — its oppression of women, gays, children, and nonbelievers — be allowed to reside or spread within our own countries,” Trump said. “We will defeat radical Islamic terrorism, just as we have defeated every threat we have faced in every age before. But we will not defeat it with closed eyes, or silenced voices.”

Although Trump said that his administration will befriend all “moderate Muslims” and “amplify their voices,” he affirmed that it will not back down against the threat of the more radical sects of Islam. Trump advocated for new preventative “ideological” screening measures that would only admit those Muslims into the U.S. coming from dangerous nations “who share our values and respect our people” and who could pass “extreme vetting.”

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Trump confirmed that his administration would have to “temporarily suspend immigration from some of the most dangerous and volatile regions of the world that have a history of exporting terrorism.”

Trump, who received backlash in the media last week for calling Obama “the founder of ISIS,” did not back down from strong condemnation of the president’s and Clinton’s role in allowing the rise of the Islamic State.

“The rise of ISIS is the direct result of policy decisions made by President Obama and Secretary Clinton,” Trump said.

Trump proceeded to outline exactly how he will respond to the national and international crises with a “new approach” — an approach that would end the policy of “nation-building” and would “put the mistakes of the past behind us” in order to “chart a new course.”

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“If I become president, the era of nation-building will be ended. Our new approach, which must be shared by both parties in America, by our allies overseas, and by our friends in the Middle East, must be to halt the spread of radical Islam,” Trump said. “All actions should be oriented around this goal, and any country which shares this goal will be our ally. We cannot always choose our friends — but we can never fail to recognize our enemies.”

Trump’s plan includes utilizing and mobilizing military warfare, financial warfare, and ideological warfare. Claiming that his administration will not allow the internet to be used as a “recruiting tool” for radical propaganda, Trump challenged the U.S. to look beyond the immediate threat of terrorism and combat the evil inherent within radical extremist ideology.

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“Just as we won the Cold War, in part, by exposing the evils of Communism and the virtues of free markets, so too must we take on the ideology of radical Islam,” Trump said. “To defeat Islamic terrorism, we must also speak out forcefully against a hateful ideology that provides the breeding ground for violence and terrorism to grow.”

Calling for unity as one American people, Trump condemned those who believe that Sharia law should supplant the Constitution or who displayed a “hostile” view toward inherently American principles.

“This also means we have to promote the exceptional virtues of our own way of life — and expecting that newcomers to our society do the same,” Trump said. “Renewing this spirit of Americanism will help heal the divisions in our country. It will do so by emphasizing what we have in common — not what pulls us apart … We will reject bigotry and oppression in all its forms, and seek a new future built on our common culture and values as one American people. Only this way, will we make America great again and safe again — for everyone.”