This is why Donald Trump didn't correct that supporter who said Obama is a Muslim

Trump New Hampshire
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Donald Trump is getting a lot of flack for failing to correct a supporter at a town hall event in New Hampshire yesterday who asserted that President Obama is a Muslim and that the U.S. needs to "get rid" of all Muslims. Trump's roll-with-the-bigotry approach contrasted starkly with a similar episode in 2008, when presidential candidate John McCain flatly contradicted a voter who said Obama is an Arab.

But Trump's less than presidential response may actually work in his favor, serving to shore up his support after his uneven performance at the GOP debate on Wednesday. As the liberal-leaning Public Policy Polling recently showed, the false belief that Obama is a Muslim is held by more than half of Republicans.

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Ryu Spaeth

Ryu Spaeth is deputy editor at TheWeek.com. Follow him on Twitter.