US Presidential hopeful Donald Trump on Wednesday sought to allay the criticism surrounding his controversial proposal of a shutdown of Muslims entering the United States, saying many of his Muslim friends actually found his idea to be “fantastic” and “brilliant”.
“I'm doing good for the Muslims...Many Muslim friends of mine are in agreement with me. They say, ‘Donald, you brought something up to the fore that is so brilliant and so fantastic,” Trump told CNN in an interview.
Trump went on to claim that his plan had been misrepresented and that his proposal for an immigration ban may not last long. “I am the least racist person that you have ever met,” Trump said, when asked if he is bigoted or Islamophobic.
Trump's comments come at a time when an online petition in UK has called for a ban on him from entering the British nation. The petition, which was in response to Trump's proposal to stop Muslims from entering the United States, has so far garnered more than 3,60,000 signatures from Britons.
Trump kicked up a storm earlier this week when he called for a ban on Muslims entering the United States “until our country's representatives can figure out what is going on”. His comments came in the backdrop of the California shooting that left 14 people dead and several injured. A Muslim couple is suspected of having carried out the heinous crime.
Despite the severe backlash that has followed the Republican hopeful's comments, Trump has defended his plan and even compared it with President Franklin Roosevelt's decision to inter Japanese Americans during World War II.
“This is a president who was highly respected by all,” Trump said on Tuesday. “If you look at what he was doing, it was far worse.”
Citing the results of a poll on Wednesday, Trump had sent out a veiled threat of quitting the GOP stating that a majority of his supporters would vote for him even if he quit the Republican Party.
