Presidential candidate Donald Trump blamed Barack Obama for the terrorist attacks in Paris on Saturday, suggesting that the president was misleading the American people about the true threat of the Islamic State, also called ISIS or ISIL.
President Obama said "ISIL continues to shrink" in an interview just hours before the horrible attack in Paris. He is just so bad! CHANGE.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 14, 2015
We need much tougher, much smarter leadership – and we need it NOW!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 14, 2015
The business mogul was referring to an interview Obama did with George Stephanopoulos on ABC’s “Good Morning America.” Obama did say that “we have contained” ISIS, but he was specifically talking about how the terrorist group hadn’t gained ground in Iraq. He also talked about the difficulty of fighting such a disparate group with traditional military forces and the need to recruit the right allies.
YouTubeEnjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on…www.youtube.comTrump came under criticism when a tweet he posted in January after the Charlie Hebdo attacks resurfaced, which suggested France’s tough gun laws didn’t stop such attacks.
He re-upped that line of attack during a rally in Texas on Saturday, saying the Paris attacks would have been “a much, much different situation” if the victims had been armed with guns. He doesn’t explain how guns could stop suicide bombers. In fact, one suicide bomber was stopped by guards at the stadium location and turned away, but he detonated the bomb at the entrance anyway.
Most presidential candidates, including Republican frontrunner Ben Carson, called for prayers and thoughts to be with Parisians in the aftermath of the attacks.
My thoughts and prayers are with the people in Paris tonight.
— Ben & Candy Carson (@RealBenCarson) November 13, 2015
But Carson also offered a concrete proposal during a campaign stop in Florida: stop Middle Eastern refugees from coming to the United States. “If we’re going to be bringing 200,000 people over here from that region — if I were one of the leaders of the global jihadist movement and I didn’t infiltrate that group of people with my people, that would be almost malpractice,” he said, according to the Washington Post.
The United States recently increased the number of Syrian refugees it will accept from the previous 1,500 per year to 100,000 by 2017. Some looking to aid refugees say even that number is insufficient to help the more than 4 million people who have fled the violence and civil war in Syria. But even this proposal has received pushback from Congress, which may block any attempts to help refugees resettle in the United States.
Other Republican presidential candidates had more specific thoughts about policies moving forward. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), for instance, said the U.S. should be more tolerant of “civilian casualties” in its airstrikes against ISIS.
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush said the attack is part of “an organized effort to destroy Western civilization” during a radio interview with conservative host Hugh Hewitt on Friday night. He also promised to “take out ISIS.”
The terror attack in Paris is part of an organized effort to destroy Western Civilization and we must defeat it https://t.co/MGBV2NTyxs
— Jeb Bush (@JebBush) November 14, 2015
This isn't just an attack on the French people, it's an attack on human decency & all things that we hold dear.
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) November 13, 2015
Kasich: "Just as France did for us in aftermath of the infamous 9/11 attacks, we should invoke Article 5"
— Zeke Miller (@ZekeJMiller) November 14, 2015
Article 5 of the NATO treaty stipulates that an attack on one member of the alliance is seen as an attack all of the others. “The Parties agree that an armed attack against one or more of them in Europe or North America shall be considered an attack against them all,” the treaty says.
Santorum: US "sitting around nibbling at" ISIS; "they're fighting the United States and they're winning"
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) November 14, 2015
Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee offered the most detailed proposal, which included recommending “close[ing] our borders instead of Guantanamo” and “institut[ing] an immediate moratorium on admission to those persons from countries where there is strong presence of ISIS or Al-Qaeda.” He also suggested revoking the nuclear agreement with Iran, even though Iran has been seeking to become an ally in fighting ISIS.
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) offered a more measured response that also vaguely called for “improv[ing] our defenses, destroy[ing] terrorist networks, and depriv[ing] them of the space from which to operate.”
My prayers tonight are with the people of France as they come to terms with the terrible tragedy unfolding in Paris. (1/6)
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) November 14, 2015
These brutal terrorist attacks against innocent civilians are a reminder of the increasing dangers facing free peoples around the world(2/6)
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) November 14, 2015
It is important for all Americans to stand with the people of France in this difficult time. As we learn more about the attacks (3/6)
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) November 14, 2015
and who is behind them, the United States should assist the French government in finding those who are accountable and bring them (4/6)
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) November 14, 2015
to justice. We cannot let those who seek to disrupt our way of life succeed. We must increase our efforts at home and abroad (5/6)
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) November 14, 2015
to improve our defenses, destroy terrorist networks, and deprive them of the space from which to operate. (6/6)
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) November 14, 2015
Additional reporting by Kira Lerner.