Will stop regime change overseas, focus on defeating IS, says Trump

Washington, Sept 21: Questioning the national security and foreign policies of presidential rival Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump said if elected he will stop the policy of regime change overseas and instead focus on defeating Islamic State.

"We are going to stop the policy of regime change overseas, and instead focus on working with our allies on a military campaign to utterly destroy ISIS and defeat Islamic terrorism. This will not only require military warfare, but also financial warfare, cyber warfare, and ideological warfare," Trump said at an election rally in North Carolina.

Identifying radical Islam as a major threat to the United States, the Republican Trump alleged that Clinton of the Democratic Party was not even speaking about the issue.

"My opponent won't even say the words radical Islamic terrorism. In fact, Hillary Clinton talks tougher about my supporters than she does about Islamic terrorists. She calls the patriotic Americans who support our campaign – many of them cops and soldiers – deplorable and irredeemable," he said.

"Has she ever talked that way about radical Islam, or about those who oppress and murder women and gays overseas? Has Hillary Clinton ever called people who support these practices deplorable and irredeemable? In many countries overseas, non-believers face the death penalty – where is Hillary's condemnation here?" he asked.

"Let's ask Hillary Clinton: how many people who subscribe to Radical Islamic views, and support the oppression of non-believers, would you call deplorable or irredeemable – or are those words reserved only for hardworking Americans that truly love their country and that support Donald Trump?" he asked.

Trump asserted America can never elect a president, like Hillary Clinton, who "with her choice of words, thinks decent American citizens are a bigger threat than radical Islamic terrorists."

"Anyone who cannot name our enemy, is not fit to lead this country. Anyone who cannot condemn the hatred, oppression and violence of radical Islam lacks the moral clarity to serve as America's president, he said.

"Her timetable withdrawal from Iraq, her push for regime change in Libya and Syria, her open borders policies – these are the actions that unleashed the ISIS disaster," he said. He also criticized Clinton for her claim that "my opposition to radical Islamic terrorism is a recruiting tool."

He said it demonstrated her level of ignorance about the terror threat "that is disqualifying". Trump alleged that refusing to call out radical Islam will not lessen the danger, it will only increase and embolden the danger – just like they have seen during her disastrous and failed tenure as secretary of state.

"The rise of ISIS is Hillary Clinton's foreign policy legacy. Secretary Clinton has helped to topple regimes, displace millions, and then opened the door to ISIS to enter our country. How is this a smart policy?" he asked.

PTI