U.S. President Barack Obama lashed out at Donald Trump on Tuesday, saying the Republican presidential candidate is the one who’s un-American, CNN reports.
The comments came in response to Trump’s own comments in an interview with Fox News on Monday, when he hinted that the President was complicit or approved of Islamic terror attacks and adding, “There is something going on.”
“That’s not the America we want,” Obama said. “It doesn’t reflect our democratic ideals. It will make us less safe.”
Obama also angrily fired back against Trump’s criticism that he failed to use the term “radical Islamic terrorism” with regards to the shooting attack at an Orlando club, calling it “loose talk.”
“What exactly would using this language accomplish? What exactly would it change?” Obama asked during remarks at the Treasury Department. “Would it make ISIL less committed to try and kill Americans?” he continued, using the alternative acronym for the Islamic State (ISIS) jihadist group.
“Would it bring in more allies? Is there a military strategy that is served by this? The answer is none of the above. Calling a threat by a different name does not make it go away,” he added, according to CNN.
“The men and women who put their lives at risk and the Special Forces I ordered to get bin Laden and are now on the ground in Iraq and in Syria — they know full well who the enemy is,” continued Obama. “So do the intelligence and law enforcement officers who spent countless hours disrupting plots. And protecting all Americans, including politicians who tweet, and appear on cable news shows. They know what the nature of the enemy is. So there’s no magic to the phrase ‘radical Islam.’ It’s a political talking point.”
He hammered Trump over his “dangerous” mindset and implied that his remarks were actually driving Muslims who might be prone to radicalization into the arms of ISIS.
The Orlando attack was carried out by American-Muslim terrorist Omar Mateen, who according to reports pledged allegiance to the Islamic State (ISIS) terrorist group.
While Obama has acknowledged that has the deadly shooting was an “act of terror,” he did not identify ISIS as the culprit, resulting in the criticism from Trump.
Speaking after Obama’s remarks on Tuesday, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said the President had grown frustrated at hearing “political talking points” being wielded in place of a comprehensive counterterrorism strategy.
