Hillary Clinton said the Islamic State terrorist group is "rooting" for Donald Trump to win the presidency this November during a Thursday interview with an Israeli-based news station.
Clinton told Israel’s Channel 2 that Trump has contributed to ISIS recruiting efforts by singling out Muslims as a threat in his campaign, effectively "giving aid and comfort to their evil ambition."
"The jihadists see this as a great gift," she said. "They are saying, ‘Oh please, Allah, make Trump president of America.’"
Trump drew furor from the media and national security experts after proposing to ban all Muslims from entering the United States following December’s terrorist attack in San Bernardino, California. That attack was carried out by a couple who had pledged allegiance to ISIS. National security experts have argued that Trump’s call for "a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States" helps ISIS by alienating Muslims from the United States.
The Republican nominee has also criticized Clinton and President Obama for refusing to describe the predominant terrorist threat as "radical Islam."
Clinton defended the administration’s opposition to the phrase, arguing that incorporating Islam "into the definition of our enemy actually serves the purpose of the radical jihadists." She cited a Wednesday article by former U.S. counterterrorism chief Matt Olsen published in Time contending that ISIS is using its social media and propaganda channels to "advocate for Trump."
"I found it even surprising how clear and compelling the case was where he quoted ISIS spokespeople rooting for Donald Trump’s victory because Trump has made Islam and Muslims a part of his campaign," Clinton said.
"I want to defeat them. I want to end their reign of terror. I don’t want them to feel as though they can be getting more recruits because of our politics," she added.