President Trump's national security adviser tried to get him to forgo the phrase 'radical Islam' tonight. He was overruled.

General H.R. McMaster shakes hands with Trump at Mar-a-Lago.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

last updated 1 March 2017

President Trump's new national security adviser, Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster, argued that the president should not use the phrase "radical Islamic terrorism" or "radical Islam" in his address to Congress on Tuesday night but was overruled, NBC's Katy Tur reports. Trump's chief speechwriter, Stephen Miller, left the phrase in, Politico writes.

McMaster told his new staff he considered the term "radical Islamic terrorism" unhelpful, according to a second White House aide. "Even a small change like referring to ‘radical Islamist terrorism’ would be an improvement, in his view," said this aide."Islamist" typically describes fundamentalist supporters of Islam-based government and society, rather than implicitly encompassing all Muslims. [Politico]

Trump apparently plans to moderate his rhetoric elsewhere. The Washington Post's Abby D. Phillip points out that Trump's prepared remarks refer to the Muslim victims of the Islamic State, not just the Christian ones, which the president has not always done.

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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.