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


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
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
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.
-
Can US tourism survive Trump's policies?
Today's Big Question The tourist economy is 'heading in the wrong direction'
-
September's books tell of friendship in middle age, teachers versus fascists, and Covid psychosis
the week recommends September books include Angela Flournoy's 'The Wilderness,' Randi Weingarten's 'Why Fascists Fear Teachers' and Patricia Lockwood's 'Will There Ever Be Another You'
-
'Total rat eradication in New York has been deemed impossible'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclub
Speed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's ills
Speed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, Stallone
Speed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's view
Speed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talk
Speed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'
Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
A long weekend in Zürich
The Week Recommends The vibrant Swiss city is far more than just a banking hub
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposes
speed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle