‘Need the wall’: Trump condemns Sinai mosque attack
Condemning the attack on the Sinai mosque that killed over 230 people, US President Donald Trump renewed calls for a travel ban and the border wall, two of his signature campaign promises.
Friday morning’s blast at the Al Rawdah mosque in Bir al-Abed, northern Sinai, prompted worshippers to flee the building, scrambling for their lives. In the process of fleeing, they came under attack by gunmen. Over 230 people were killed and 130 more wounded in the attack by suspected Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) militants.
Trump said the US needs to “get tougher and smarter than ever before,” adding, “need the wall, need the ban!” adding that he will call the president of Egypt to discuss the terrorist attack.
Will be calling the President of Egypt in a short while to discuss the tragic terrorist attack, with so much loss of life. We have to get TOUGHER AND SMARTER than ever before, and we will. Need the WALL, need the BAN! God bless the people of Egypt.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 24, 2017
Earlier in the day, Trump described the attack as “horrible and cowardly” and its victims as “innocent and defenseless worshipers.”
“The world cannot tolerate terrorism, we must defeat them militarily and discredit the extremist ideology that forms the basis of their existence!” the president said.
Horrible and cowardly terrorist attack on innocent and defenseless worshipers in Egypt. The world cannot tolerate terrorism, we must defeat them militarily and discredit the extremist ideology that forms the basis of their existence!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 24, 2017
Building a wall along the US border with Mexico to crack down on illegal immigration has been one of Trump’s core campaign promises. Congress has since earmarked $10 billion for border security, and a number of wall prototypes have been built in San Diego, California. Opponents of the wall have resorted to creative gimmicks to hinder its construction.
Since taking office, Trump has issued three executive orders attempting to restrict entry into the US to citizens of specific countries. The third and most recent order applies to residents of Iran, Chad, Libya, Syria, Yemen, Somalia, North Korea and government officials from Venezuela, citing security reasons.
Trump’s critics have contested the travel bans as discriminatory against Muslims, citing his campaign trail statement about a “total and complete ban on Muslims entering the US” as proof of his intent. The US Supreme Court is expected to make a decision on the ban at some point during its current session.
