Jordan’s King Abdullah II told anchor Wolf Blitzer that while his country is accepting refugees and they can’t be ignored, it wasn’t “fair” to ask a foreign leader his opinion on GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump in an interview broadcast on Wednesday’s “Situation Room” on CNN.
Abdullah was asked, “What’s your reaction to Donald Trump saying that there should be a temporary ban on Muslims coming into the United States, until the US can figure out what’s going on?”
He responded, “Well, I think that’s the same challenge that we’re being pushed to at the moment, with the group that we’re talking about. We’re saying to those — you know, we’ve had this comment given to us by the united states that you need to allow these refugees into the country. So, we’re going back to the United States, where these comments have been made, saying, look, we understand, we are trying to bring these people in, but we’re trying to make sure that the mechanisms that we put in place, make sure — it’s never going to be foolproof, but we’re going to try and make it as sterile as possible. You know, we’re accepting 50 to 100 every day, from an area that we know there’s a major danger. Obviously, it’s those that are ill, the elderly, women and children. I know some people can be callous and say, well, let all the women in, but as you saw in California and we’ve seen in Paris recently, women, unfortunately, have been part of terrorist organizations and terror strikes. But we can’t ignore, and just keep refugees isolated. So you’ve just got to be smart, and you’ve got to think with the heart.”
After Blitzer followed up, asking Abdullah for his position on the temporary ban on all Muslims, not just refugees from a few countries, Abdullah stated, “you’re into an election cycle, so I don’t think it’s fair for you to ask a foreign leader to express his opinion on candidates in your country running for election.”
Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett
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