Trump coming to Des Moines Friday amid Muslim comments

Donald Trump speaks about his platform on Sept. 19 at the Faith and Freedom Coalition Dinner.

Alex Hanson
December 8, 2015

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump will be in Des Moines on Friday for a rally, days after he released a proposal to halt all Muslims from traveling to the United States for the time being.

Trump called for a “total and complete shutdown” of Muslims entering “until our country’s representatives can figure out what is going on.” He cited poll numbers showing that a chunk of the Muslim population agreed that violence against Americans is justified in as part of the global jihad.

“Without looking at the various polling data, it is obvious to anybody the hatred is beyond comprehension. Where this hatred comes from and why we will have to determine,” Trump said in a prepared statement.

“Until we are able to determine and understand this problem and the dangerous threat it poses, our country cannot be the victims of horrendous attacks by people that believe only in Jihad, and have no sense of reason or respect for human life,” he continued. “If I win the election for President, we are going to Make America Great Again.”

Trump will be in Des Moines for a rally on Friday at the Iowa State Fairgrounds. Doors open at 4 p.m. and the event begins at 6:30 p.m. Those wishing to attend should RSVP here.

Candidates from both parties weighed in on his proposal. 

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio:

Ohio Gov. John Kasich:

“This is just more of the outrageous divisiveness that characterizes his every breath and another reason why he is entirely unsuited to lead the United States.”

Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul:

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush:

South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham:

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton:

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders:

“Demagogues throughout our history have attempted to divide us based on race, gender, sexual orientation or country of origin. Now, Trump and others want us to hate all Muslims. The United States is a great nation when we stand together. We are a weak nation when we allow racism and xenophobia to divide us.”
 
Former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley:

Jeff Kaufman, the chairman of the Iowa Republican Party, tweeted out comments directed at Trump, but he did directly push back.