With three words, Trump used his moment in the national spotlight to pledge an end to “radical Islamic terrorism” – a phrase President Obama declined to say during his eight-year tenure.
Trump said his administration would eradicate the threat “from the face of the earth.”
Obama had warned against Trump and other Republicans from using the phrase, saying it would help terrorists create the impression that the United States was waging a religious war against Islam.
“There’s no magic to the phrase,” Obama said in June, accusing Trump for “loose talk” about Muslims. “It’s a political talking point; it’s not a strategy.”
Republicans have criticized Obama for failing to identify the threat posed by terrorist groups like the Islamic State.
Trump vows to eradicate ‘radical Islamic terrorism’
21 January 2017
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