Trump to speak on Islam — but maybe not 'radical Islamic terrorism' — to Muslim leaders


A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
Thank you for signing up to TheWeek. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.
President Trump will address the leaders of 50 majority-Muslim nations Sunday in an "uplifting" but "blunt" speech on Islam and the war on terror. The talk is the keynote event of Trump's visit to Saudi Arabia, the first stop of his inaugural international tour as president.
A leaked draft of the speech did not contain the phrase "radical Islamic terrorism," which Trump highlighted throughout his campaign, accusing President Obama and Hillary Clinton of being soft on terror because they would not "state what the problem is or at least say the name."
In an interview to air Sunday, National Security Adviser H. R. McMaster was vague about whether the phrase would appear. "This is the president asking questions, listening, learning, and of course the president will call it whatever he wants to call it," he said. "Whatever we call it, we recognize that these are not religious people and in fact, these enemies of all civilization," McMaster added. "What they want to do is to cloak their criminal behavior under some false idea of a religious war."
Subscribe to 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.
Observers are also watching to see if Trump's speech goes off-message to discuss the scandals and allegations plaguing his presidency, as well as whether he takes members of his audience, most notably his Saudi Arabian hosts, to task for human rights abuses.
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.
Sign up to our 10 Things You Need to Know Today newsletter
A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
Bonnie Kristian was a deputy editor and acting editor-in-chief of TheWeek.com. She is a columnist at Christianity Today and author of Untrustworthy: The Knowledge Crisis Breaking Our Brains, Polluting Our Politics, and Corrupting Christian Community (forthcoming 2022) and A Flexible Faith: Rethinking What It Means to Follow Jesus Today (2018). Her writing has also appeared at Time Magazine, CNN, USA Today, Newsweek, the Los Angeles Times, and The American Conservative, among other outlets.
-
The daily gossip: Man arrested in connection with shooting of Tupac Shakur, an OceanGate movie is in the works, and more
Feature The daily gossip: September 29, 2023
By Brendan Morrow Published
-
What to expect from an El Niño winter
The Explainer Things might be different thanks to this well-known weather phenomenon
By Devika Rao Published
-
The week’s best photojournalism
In Pictures A steaming volcano, a giant crater and more
By Anahi Valenzuela Published
-
Mobsters jailed by Giuliani are 'thrilled' with his RICO prosecution. Former fans are sad.
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Police video shows GOP Rep. Ronny Jackson profanely threatening Texas trooper in rodeo altercation
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Ecuador anti-corruption presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio shot dead before election
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
DOJ investigating alleged racial profiling among Connecticut troopers
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Police reach potential breakthrough in Tupac Shakur murder case
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Top suspect in transformative 1982 cyanide-laced Tylenol murders dies uncharged
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Ex-US gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar reportedly stabbed in prison
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Ohio residents demand justice after police officer kills family dog
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published