Defeating radical Islam should be a bipartisan goal: Donald Trump

Washington, Sept 10: Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has said that radical Islam has emerged as the greatest national security threat to the US and defeating this menace should be a bipartisan goal for the country.

"We must establish a bipartisan goal in the US –and an international goal with our allies –of defeating Radical Islamic Terrorism," Trump said at an event here.

"Just like we won the Cold War by identifying our enemy, and building a consensus to guide a long-term strategy, so too must we do the same with Islamic terrorism," he said.

Trump said the North Korean nuclear test is yet another example of the foreign policy failure of his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton. "Just today, it was announced that North Korea performed its fifth nuclear test its fourth since Hillary Clinton became Secretary of State. It's just one more massive failure from a failed Secretary of State," he said.

"Her policies have also put Iran on the path to nuclear weapons – not to mention the ransom payments. At the same time, Islamic State (ISIS) is hunting down and exterminating what it calls the "nation of the cross. ISIS is carrying out a genocide against Christians in the Middle East," he said.

"We cannot let this evil continue. ISIS must be destroyed. To defeat ISIS, we must use military warfare, but also cyberwarfare, financial warfare, and ideological warfare," he said claiming that the US can no longer afford to continue "the failed policies" of Hillary Clinton that unleashed ISIS and destabilised the Middle East.

"Just look at what her policies have left us with in Iraq, Syria and Libya," he said. "The problem is, Hillary Clinton is trigger-happy. Her tenure has brought us only war and destruction. She's just too quick to intervene, invade, or to push for regime change. This creates the power vacuums that are filled by terrorist groups like ISIS," Trump said.

"My administration, on the other hand, will work with any country that is willing to partner with us to defeat ISIS and halt radical islamic terrorism. It's an imperfect world. You can't always choose your friends, but you can never fail to recognise your enemies," he said.

Trump said if elected he will pursue a complete reform of the economy to bring millions of new jobs into the country.

"That includes massive tax cuts for working families and small businesses. It includes the elimination of all needless job-killing regulations. It includes lifting the restrictions on American energy," he said.

"I will also renegotiate NAFTA, stand up to China, and fight for every last American job. Crucially, I will also fight for the American family and American family values. The family must be at the centre of any anti-poverty agenda," he said.

In a Trump administration, he said our Christian heritage will be cherished, protected and defended. "And that includes your religious liberty," he said.

PTI