President Obama tears into Donald Trump's 'radical Islam' argument

(Image credit: Win McNamee/Getty Images)

published 14 June 2016

President Obama tore into critics who scold him for not using the phrase "radical Islam" on Tuesday, saying, "Calling a threat by a different name does not make it go away. This is a political distraction."

While Donald Trump and some Republicans have raised questions about Obama's loyalties in part because he's avoided the phrase, Obama mocked such suggestions, saying, "That's the key, they tell us. We can't beat [the Islamic State] unless we call them 'radical Islamists.' What exactly would using this label accomplish? What exactly would it change?"

Obama went on to say that "Not once has an advisor of mine said, 'Man, if we had used that phrase, we would have turned this whole thing around.' Not once… There's no magic to the phrase 'radical Islam' — it's a political talking point." But more to the point, Obama said this kind of distraction is exactly what ISIS wants. "If we fall into the trap of painting Muslims with a broad brush... then we are doing the terrorists' work for them," he said.

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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.

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