Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has drawn flak from critics after he joked about ejecting people in the audience who were not Christian conservatives during a campaign rally in Iowa on Wednesday.
During the said rally, Trump recognized a Christian conservative group for throwing their support behind him. He then asked the Christian conservatives among the crowd to raise their hands before asking the non-Christians conservatives to do the same, The Washington Post details.
“Raise your hand, Christian conservatives, everybody. Raise your hand if you're not a Christian conservative. I want to see this, right. Oh, there's a couple people, that's all right,” said Trump. “I think we’ll keep them. Should we keep them in the room? Yes? I think so.” …show more content…
He highlighted the billionaire’s “history of targeting religious and ethnic minorities.”
The CAIR representative also criticized the way the Republican singled out the non-Christians during the Iowa rally. For Hooper, this is a sign that Trump would bring division instead of unity to the country.
However, CNN described Trump’s statement on Wednesday as a “lighthearted” effort to relate with the mostly Christian conservative crowd present at the rally. The publication also said the comment appeared to be more of an acknowledgment of the power of the evangelical voting bloc in Iowa.
Trump’s comment also came on the heels of the support of a newly formed coalition called Iowa Christian Conservatives for Trump. According to a press release, this group consists of 650 religious leaders from around the Hawkeye state.
The Republican presidential nominee noted that he was doing well with the evangelical voters. He also recognized the new coalition’s contribution to his second place in Iowa’s GOP primary and his top place in the South Carolina
During the said rally, Trump recognized a Christian conservative group for throwing their support behind him. He then asked the Christian conservatives among the crowd to raise their hands before asking the non-Christians conservatives to do the same, The Washington Post details.
“Raise your hand, Christian conservatives, everybody. Raise your hand if you're not a Christian conservative. I want to see this, right. Oh, there's a couple people, that's all right,” said Trump. “I think we’ll keep them. Should we keep them in the room? Yes? I think so.” …show more content…
He highlighted the billionaire’s “history of targeting religious and ethnic minorities.”
The CAIR representative also criticized the way the Republican singled out the non-Christians during the Iowa rally. For Hooper, this is a sign that Trump would bring division instead of unity to the country.
However, CNN described Trump’s statement on Wednesday as a “lighthearted” effort to relate with the mostly Christian conservative crowd present at the rally. The publication also said the comment appeared to be more of an acknowledgment of the power of the evangelical voting bloc in Iowa.
Trump’s comment also came on the heels of the support of a newly formed coalition called Iowa Christian Conservatives for Trump. According to a press release, this group consists of 650 religious leaders from around the Hawkeye state.
The Republican presidential nominee noted that he was doing well with the evangelical voters. He also recognized the new coalition’s contribution to his second place in Iowa’s GOP primary and his top place in the South Carolina