Donald Trump's many Muslim friends like his Muslim travel ban, he tells a skeptical Jimmy Kimmel

Donald Trump defends his blanket Muslim ban
(Image credit: Jimmy Kimmel Live)

On Wednesday's Kimmel Live, Jimmy Kimmel asked Donald Trump if any of his advisers had tried to talk him out of his proposal to ban all Muslims from entering the United States. Trump didn't really answer, and just said that the key word is "temporarily" and that many — not all — of his many Muslim friends "called me and they said, 'You know, Donald, you're right, we have a problem.'" Kimmel asked: "But isn't it un-American and wrong to discriminate against people based on their religion?" His audience liked that question, but Trump just said that "we have people coming into this country that are looking to do us tremendous harm."

Trump noted the attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, and repeated that many Muslims have called him to voice their support for his proposed ban. "Those may have been crank calls," Kimmel joked, before asking Trump about the argument that indiscriminately banning Muslims just increases ISIS recruitment. "I don't buy it," Trump said. "We need strength in this country — we don't have strength." The last part is Trump trumpeting his opposition to the 2003 invasion of Iraq, and you can watch that and his defense of his controversial proposal below. Peter Weber

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.