Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton today condemned Donald Trump’s comments that Muslims in America should be registered in a data base.
Trump, leading the polls for the Republican nomination, has issued several controversial remarks about Muslims and Syrian refugees in the wake of last week’s attacks in Paris claimed by the Islamic State extremist group.
Clinton took issue with his last night remarks, which appeared to draw comparisons with Nazi Germany.
“This is shocking rhetoric. It should be denounced by all seeking to lead this country,” Clinton wrote on Twitter.
Trump was asked by NBC News on Thursday whether he would support creating a database system to track Muslims.
“I would certainly implement that. Absolutely,” Trump told the network at a campaign stop in Newton, Iowa.
“There should be a lot of systems, beyond databases. We should have a lot of systems, and today you can do it.”
As to how he would get Muslims registered, he said it could be done at “different places,” not just mosques.
“It would be just good management,” he said.
Trump was later asked whether there was a difference between requiring Muslims to register today and Jews registering with Germany’s Nazis in the 1930s.
“You tell me,” Trump responded.
Fellow Republican candidate Jeb Bush, who has been denounced for suggesting Christian refugees should be prioritized over Muslims, joined Clinton in criticizing Trump for his remarks, saying Americans do not have to abandon their values to be resolute in fighting extremism.
“You talk about internment, you talk about closing mosques, you talk about registering people, and that’s just wrong,” Bush told CNBC today.
“That’s not strength, that’s weakness.