Republican presidential candidate Lindsey Graham had some harsh words for fellow contender Donald Trump on Tuesday for his call to ban all Muslims from entering the United States.
During an interview on CNN, Graham said that he was “disgusted” by Trump. He called him “a race-baiting, xenophobic, religious bigot” who does not represent the values of the Republican Party.
“I want to talk to the Trump supporters for a minute,” he began. “I don’t know who you are and I don’t know why you like this guy. I think what you like about him is he appears to be strong when the rest of us are weak… That’s what he’s selling. Here’s what you’re buying:
“He’s a race-baiting, xenophobic, religious bigot,” Graham fired. “He doesn’t represent my party.”
The South Carolina senator went on to say that Trump is “empowering the enemy,” adding fuel to the fire in the spread of radical Islamic extremism.
“What Mr. Trump is doing -- and I don’t think he has a clue about anything," said Graham. "He’s just trying to get his numbers up and get the biggest reaction he can."
"He’s putting our soldiers and diplomats at risk," he argued. "He’s empowering the enemy. And this ban, if it’s actually enacted, would take people who have been interpreters, who came to our side in Iraq and Afghanistan who are under siege in their own countries, and basically becomes a death sentence for them.”
Graham is among several critics including Speaker Paul Ryan and White House spokesman Josh Earnest who have voiced their disapproval of the GOP front-runner’s proposal.
For more, watch his interview below.