White House Press Secretary Slams Trump’s Muslim Comments

White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest is calling on Republican candidates to denounce support for Donald Trump following comments he made about banning Muslims from the United States. 

Earnest says that Trump’s plan to bar Muslims from entering the United States is “disqualifying.” 

Trump released a statement Monday calling for a “total and complete shutdown” of Muslims entering the United States until representatives can figure out what is going on.   Trump said “until we are able to determine and understand this problem and the dangerous threat it poses, our country cannot be the victims of horrendous attacks by people that believe only in Jihad and have no sense of reason or respect for human life.” 

Earnest says the remarks are “offensive and toxic” and clearly shows Trump lacks the judgment to be President. 

The White House says his rhetoric on Muslims is harmful to the United States and national security. 

House Speaker Paul Ryan dismissed the Republican candidate’s comments, saying that such views are “not what this party stands for and more importantly not what this country stands for.” 

The Wisconsin Republican said many Muslims have served the county and work in Congress and that the vast majority of them are peaceful. 

Trump’s proposal has been condemned by many Republican candidates.

Trump is standing by his proposal and rejecting the criticism, saying what he is proposing is “no different” than President Franklin Roosevelt’s plan that included putting Japanese-Americans in internment camps in the U.S. after Pearl Harbor.