GOP Explodes: Trump 'Unhinged,' 'Un-American'

Dick Cheney says it 'goes against everything we stand for'
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 8, 2015 4:52 AM CST
Updated Dec 8, 2015 6:58 AM CST
Republicans Appalled by 'Un-American' Trump Remarks
Trump supporters wave to the press during a rally coinciding with Pearl Harbor Day at Patriots Point aboard the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown.   (AP Photo/Mic Smith)

Donald Trump's proposal to ban all Muslims from entering the US is being denounced as "un-American," "outlandish," "unhinged," and "ridiculous"—and that's just from his fellow Republicans. Dick Cheney was among the many conservatives who strongly criticized the plan, CBS News reports. "I think this whole notion that somehow we can just say no more Muslims, just ban a whole religion, goes against everything we stand for and believe in," he told radio host Hugh Hewitt. "I mean, religious freedom has been a very important part of our history and where we came from." A roundup of other reactions:

  • "Donald Trump is unhinged. His 'policy' proposals are not serious," tweeted Jeb Bush.
  • "There should never be a day in the United States of America when people are excluded based solely on their race or religion," New Hampshire Republican Party chief Jennifer Horn said, per CBS. "It is un-Republican. It is unconstitutional. And it is un-American."

  • "I disagree with Donald Trump's latest proposal," tweeted Marco Rubio. "His habit of making offensive and outlandish statements will not bring Americans together."
  • "Donald Trump today took xenophobia and religious bigotry to a new level," Lindsey Graham tells the Guardian. "His comments are hurting the war effort and putting our diplomats and soldiers serving in the Middle East at risk."
  • "As a conservative who truly cares about religious liberty, Donald Trump's bad idea and rhetoric send a shiver down my spine," tweeted South Carolina GOP chairman Matt Moore. "American exceptionalism means always defending our inalienable rights, not attacking them when it's politically convenient."
  • Democrats were also quick to condemn Trump's remarks, with Hillary Clinton calling them "reprehensible, prejudiced, and divisive" and Martin O'Malley tweeting that Trump has removed any doubt that he is running for president "as a fascist demagogue."
Trump appeared at a rally on the hangar deck of the USS Yorktown in South Carolina Monday night, where hundreds of supporters cheered as he doubled down on his remarks, Politico reports. He said the remarks were "probably not politically correct," but he didn't care, the Guardian reports. "Donald J. Trump is calling for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country's representatives can figure out what the hell is going on," he said. "We have no choice. We have no choice. We have no choice." He claimed that 25% of Muslims believe violence against Americans is justified and told the crowd: "They want to change your religion." (More Donald Trump stories.)

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