Donald Trump defends his criticism of Muslims: 'I was right, I have been right, and I am right'
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Donald Trump renewed his demand for a ban on Muslims from entering the United States on Monday, telling Good Morning America, "We have to have a ban on people coming in from Syria."
The Orlando shooter was born in New York. When this was pointed out to Trump, he explained that "we have many people coming in whose hate is equal to his."
Trump was also confronted about what many believed was a self-congratulatory tweet on Sunday after the shooting, when Trump said he "appreciate[d] the congrats for being right on radical Islamic terrorism."
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"I've been getting thousands and thousands of tweets and phone calls and letters telling me I'm right," Trump told Good Morning America. "The last thing I want is congratulations. I was right, I have been right, and I am right."
Trump also accused Muslims of knowing who would-be attackers are, telling the hosts of Fox & Friends on Monday that "there are many, many people, thousands of people already in our country that are sick with hate. And people that are around him, Muslims know who they are, largely. They know who they are. They have to turn them in. They know who they are. They see them."
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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
