Trump on Obama and Islam: ‘There’s something going on’

Donald Trump on Monday cast doubt on President Obama’s commitment to fighting radical Islamic terrorism, saying “there’s something going on.” 

“We’re led by a man that either is not tough, not smart, or he’s got something else in mind,” the presumptive Republican presidential nominee said during a phone interview on “Fox and Friends.”

{mosads}”And the something else in mind, you know, people can’t believe it, people cannot believe that President Obama is acting the way he acts and can’t even mention the words ‘radical Islamic terrorism,’ ” he said. “There’s something going on — it’s inconceivable. There’s something going on.

“He doesn’t get it, or he gets it better than anybody understands. It’s one or the other, and either one is unacceptable.” 

The businessman has in the past raised questions about Obama’s birthplace and suggested he is not a Christian. The White House responded to Trump’s “birther” claims in 2011 by releasing the president’s long-form birth certificate.

Trump went further with his comments on NBC’s “Today” show, arguing Obama was intentionally pursuing ignorance on the topic of Islamism.

Although the GOP candidate said he personally considers the president to be clueless, he gave consideration to conspiracy theories that the president has ulterior motives.

“There are a lot of people who think maybe he doesn’t want to get it. A lot of people think maybe he doesn’t want to know about it,” Trump said.

Trump has repeatedly blasted Obama’s handling of terrorism and in February accused the president of apologizing to Muslims after he visited a mosque to combat rhetoric against Muslim-Americans.

Several journalists highlighted Trump’s comments on Monday, a day after Omar Mateen killed 49 people and injured dozens more in a shooting at an Orlando, Fla., nightclub.

Trump tosses dogwhistle, busts out a foghorn on TODAY: “Well there are a lot of people that think maybe [Obama] doesn’t want to get it.”

— Benjy Sarlin (@BenjySarlin) June 13, 2016

What Trump did this am is arguably equivalent to a Dem suggesting 9/11 is an inside job the day after 9/11. https://t.co/A1rf9Xhi4r

— Sam Stein (@samsteinhp) June 13, 2016

“The president doesn’t know [about radical Islamic terrorism] because he certainly doesn’t do much about it in terms of intelligence, in terms of intelligence gathering,” Trump said on the “Today” show.

“I’m not sure that the president knows, if you want to know the truth. He won’t even use the term ‘radical Islamic terrorism.’ I think he thinks that everyone’s just a sweetheart,” Trump said.

“He won’t even use the term ‘radical Islamic terrorism,’ which I think is insulting to our country and it’s insulting to everybody,” he added.