Bomber’s taxpayer-funded care, defense irks Trump
GOP candidate Donald Trump lamented that terror suspect Ahmad Khan Rahami will now receive “amazing hospitalization” from “some of the best doctors in the world” and “probably even have room service” at taxpayer expense, as Trump tried to position himself as the strongest leader to stop ISIS.
“On top of all of that, he will be represented by an outstanding lawyer. His case will go through the various court systems for years and, in the end, people will forget; and his punishment will not be what it once would have been,” Trump said at a rally in Florida. “We must deliver a just and very harsh punishment to these people.”
Meanwhile, Democrat Hillary Clinton, who has been attacked by Trump as being soft on terrorism, yesterday called for “tough vetting” of immigrants to avoid letting potential terrorists into the country.
Trump, who has been criticized in the past for calling for “extreme vetting” of Muslim immigrants and refugees, blasted Clinton yesterday as “weak and ineffective” on national security.
“Hillary Clinton talks tougher about my supporters than she does about Islamic terrorists,” said Trump. “She calls the patriotic Americans who support our campaign — many of them cops and soldiers — deplorable and irredeemable. ... Has she ever talked that way about radical Islam? No.”
Trump added that investigators should “use whatever lawful methods are available” to extract information from Rahami.
Meanwhile, Clinton tried to portray Trump as a reckless candidate with no experience fighting terrorism. She said his rhetoric about Muslims serves as a “recruiting sergeant for the terrorists” that “gives them aid and comfort.”
The former secretary of state also boasted about her experience as the “only candidate” who’s been part of the “hard decisions” to kill terrorists, including Osama bin Laden.
“I know how to do this,” said Clinton.
Voters are closely divided on which candidate would be most effective in the war on terror. A Fox News poll of likely voters last week showed Clinton with a slight edge, 47 to 46 percent, over Trump on the question of which candidate would do a better job on terrorism.
Elizabeth Zechmeister, a political science professor at Vanderbilt University who co-authored a book examining how terror threats impact public opinion, said research shows both Clinton and Trump should be able to attract supporters based on their background.
“One thing we know for sure is individuals will be looking for strong, resolute leadership,” Zechmeister said. “When a terror threat is high, the public puts a high priority on strong leadership traits. ... Some people even tend to project or see leaders as more powerful or charismatic than they’d otherwise see them.”
While Republicans have traditionally been the party viewed as most effective on terror, especially immediately after Sept. 11, Democrats have been chipping away at that, she said.
Voters also tend to gravitate toward a masculine figure — which would be bad news for Clinton, but Zechmeister added that experience, in this case Clinton’s time in the State Department, would offset that.