Trump Asked: Do You Really Think 1.6 Billion Muslims Hate Us? Answers: Yeah, Pretty Much

Published on March 11, 2016 at 10:20 PM

Presidential candidate Donald Trump is known for his extreme rhetoric on Islam, calling for a ban on Muslim visitors to America, for example. During Thursday's GOP debate, CNN moderator Jack Tapper called Trump out on some of his most recent comments, asking him skeptically: "Last night you told CNN, quote, 'Islam hates us.' Did you mean all 1.6 billion Muslims?" Doubling down, Trump responded, "I mean a lot of them. I mean a lot of them," getting laughter and applause from the crowd.

Following the comment, Senator Marco Rubio took issue with the blanket statement against one of the world's largest religions, saying Muslims have served America in the military and are helping the US in the fight against extremism. "[Trump] says what people wish they could say," Rubio said. "The problem is presidents can't just say what they want." Trump dismissed that charge as policial correctness. And it goes on.