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Trump using Islamophobia to rise to top: Commentator

A group of Muslims take part in a rally in front of Trump Tower on December 20, 2015 in New York. (AFP photo)

Press TV has interviewed Richard Silverstein, a journalist and political commentator in Seattle, to discuss a protest rally outside Donald Trump's New York City headquarters, condemning the US Republican presidential hopeful over his anti-Muslim stance.

The following is a rough transcription of the interview.

 

Press TV: The demonstrators in New York believe that Mr. Donald Trump is a fascist and a racist. What do you think about Donald Trump and the recent comments he has made regarding immigrants and Muslims?

Silverstein: Well I should note that Hillary Clinton in the presidential debate in the Democratic Party this evening said that Donald Trump is one of ISIS’s (Daesh) best recruiting tools and that is true.

Donald Trump is an Islamophobe and hates Muslims and fears them and is ignorant of what Islam is and he is parlaying that, exploiting that to rise to the top of the Republican primary contest and he’s right now that 40 percent of the approval of the Republican electorate and he is using Islamophobia to do that and his main proposal so far that aroused so much controversy is refusing to allow any Muslims to enter the United States and even sometimes he said that that it would include US citizens who are Muslims as well. And I think most Americans have recognized that this is an outrageous statement that it would violate the constitution and probably will not be accepted by US courts but that is not what he is interested in. He is really interested in winning the Republican primary and this is his way to do that.

Press TV: Well isn’t it quite perplexing that someone with such beliefs and such a stance, for example we go back to the comment about the wall along the border with Mexico and banning all Muslims from entering the United States, isn’t it scary that someone with that state of mind is trying to run for the highest office of the United States?

Silverstein: Yes, it is very but I would say that the Republican Party is now beset by a lot of dysfunction and bitterness and recrimination by many of these candidates like Trump. All of them are objectionable in one way or the other and I think that indicates that the Republicans are going to be a minority party in United States for quite a long time to come and may not win a presidential election for a number of election cycles because they are producing candidates like this that appeal to a minority of the country and you need to appeal to the majority to win an election and there is no way, I am happy to say, that the majority of Americans would vote for someone with the views of Trump.

It is possible if he wins the nomination he will try to moderate those views in general election but I do not think the people will be fooled by that at all.


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