Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump on Sunday shot back against allegations that he is anti-Muslim, saying most men and women of the Islamic faith are “fabulous.”
But the real estate mogul again refused to say definitively that President Obama was born in the U.S., nor would he flatly deny false claims that the president is a Muslim.
In an interview on ABC’s “This Week,” Mr. Trump said it’s simply not his place to wade into those issues.
“I don’t get into it,” he said when asked about the president’s religion and place of birth. “I think about jobs. I’m talking about the military. I don’t get into it. I mean, they ask that question and I just want to talk about the things, because frankly, it’s no longer of interest to me. We’re beyond that, and it’s just something I don’t talk about … I don’t talk about other people’s faith. It’s not appropriate for me to talk about somebody else’s faith.”
Mr. Trump has come under fire in recent days for failing to correct a voter who asked questions predicated on the assumption that the president is a Muslim.
That same voter also said that Muslims are a problem in this country, and Mr. Trump didn’t contradict that assertion.
In Sunday’s interview he said the “problem” is militant Muslims.
“Most are fabulous,” he said of Muslims. “I say that No. 1 point, most are fabulous. And I have friends that are Muslims. And, by the way, they say there is a problem with certain militants that obviously you report on every night on your newscasts. But there is a problem with militancy, and it is something that is going to have to be solved.”
• Ben Wolfgang can be reached at bwolfgang@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.