Jeb Responds to Muslim Sanders Supporter: Trump Muslim Ban Would Create ‘Toxic’ Environment

Thursday on Fox News Channel’s Republican presidential debate, former Gov. Jeb Bush (R-FL) said his opponent Donald Trump’s proposal to temporarily ban all Muslims from coming to the United States created ‘an environment that’s toxic in our own country.”

In responding to a question from Bernie Sanders supporter Nabela Noor, Bush took aim at Trump.

Bush said, “First of all, it’s important when running for the highest office in the land we recognize we’re living in dangerous times and have to be serious about it, that our words have consequences. Donald Trump, for example — I mentioned his name again if anybody was missing him— Mr. Trump believed in reaction to people’s fears that we should ban all Muslims. Well, that creates an environment that’s toxic in our own country. Nabela’s a rising entrepreneur. She wants to pursue the American dream. She’s an American citizen. She should not feel uncomfortable about her citizenship. She’s not the threat.”

“The threat is Islamic terrorism. We need to focus our energies there, not these broad-blanket kind of statements that will make it harder for us to deal with ISIS. We need to deal with ISIS in the caliphate. We need a strategy to destroy ISIS there. You can’t do that without the cooperation of the Muslim world because they’re as threatened as we are. So I think it’s important for us to be careful about the language we use which is why I’ve been critical of Donald Trump disparaging women, disparaging Hispanics. That’s not a sign of strength. Making fun of disabled people. We’re never going to win elections if we don’t have a more broader unifying message.”