Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid unleashed on Donald Trump and his fellow Republican candidates for president Tuesday, saying the GOP front-runner is “saying out loud what other Republicans merely suggest.”
Mr. Reid, Nevada Democrat, said Mr. Trump’s proposal Monday to bar all Muslims from coming to the U.S. in response to recent terrorist attacks was “hateful,” “despicable” and “vile,” and a “slap in the face to peace-loving Muslims” who want to embrace America.
“Donald Trump is standing on the platform of hate, and I’m sorry to say hate the Republican Party built for him,” Mr. Reid said.
The Democratic leader blasted 2016 Republican contenders — including fellow Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas — for saying the U.S. should accept Syrian Christian refugees before Muslims.
He also criticized retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson for using a rabid-dog analogy while speaking about the refugees fleeing civil war.
Mr. Trump hasn’t backed off his proposal, which was widely condemned late Monday by Democrats and Republicans alike and marked an escalation of tough rhetoric that’s stunned pundits but rocketed him to the top of primary polls.
It also raised new fears for the GOP establishment, which is worried about a matchup between Mr. Trump and Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton and what his nomination could mean for pivotal down-ballot Senate races.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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