Presumptive GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump is already forecasting that he might not have a very good relationship with the leader of one of the United States’ staunchest allies, in the wake of British Prime Minister David Cameron’s criticizing Mr. Trump’s call for a temporary ban on Muslims entering the United States.
Mr. Trump was asked to respond to Mr. Cameron’s calling his statements about Muslims “divisive, “stupid” and “wrong.”
“Well, number one I’m not stupid, OK?” Mr. Trump said in a new interview for ITV’s “Good Morning Britain.” “I can tell you that right now — just the opposite.”
“Number two, in terms of divisive — I don’t think I’m a divisive person,” he said. “I’m a unifier. Unlike our president now, I’m a unifier.”
“Honestly, I don’t care,” Mr. Trump said of Mr. Cameron’s comments. “It doesn’t matter. I mean, it’s fine.”
The prime minister has not backed away from the comments, which he made last year in the wake of Mr. Trump’s proposal.
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“It looks like we’re not going to have a very good relationship. Who knows?” Mr. Trump said. “I hope to have a good relationship with him. But it sounds like he’s not willing to address the problem, either.”
“People can pretend like it’s not existing, but take a look. Take a look at London. Take a look at certain sections of some cities throughout Europe and throughout the world,” he said.
“It is a disaster and the police are — [they] want nothing to do with it,” he said. “It’s as bad as it gets. Now, we don’t have to talk about it, or we could.”
Asked what he’d say to law-abiding Muslims who feel under attack, Mr. Trump said: “Here’s what I say to them: They have to turn the people in.”
“People have to work with the police and law enforcement. They have to turn [them] in,” he said. “They got to play ball. … If they’re not going to play ball, it’s never going to work out.”
Asked if he would re-phrase the comments, given how much controversy they have created, Mr. Trump said: “It got people thinking.”
“Whether it’s good for me or bad for me, I don’t really care,” he said. “You have to understand: I’m not against any religion, but there is something happening there. … There’s something very bad going on there, and we have to get to the bottom of it.”
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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