Muslims
Trump has strong and documented biases against Muslims. His senior advisor, Kellyanne Conway, ran a polling firm that took on a client who believed that Obama was a secret Muslim and that Hillary Clinton's aide Huma Abedin was a secret Muslim operative. Neither assertion is true.
During the campaign, Trump attacked a Gold Star family, the parents of a Muslim U.S. Army officer killed in Iraq, suggesting the soldier's mother had not been permitted to speak. He also did not rule out a Muslim registry, surveillance in heavily Muslim neighborhoods, and a temporary but open-ended immigration freeze on Muslim immigration.
"But what I want is a watch list. I want surveillance programs. Obviously, there are a lot of problems. … But, certainly, I would want to have a database for the refugees, for the Syrian refugees that are coming in because nobody knows where they're coming from," he said. (Source: Politifact)
This page will track statements and actions regarding Muslims made by Trump, his appointees, and his supporters.
See also Muslim Registry and Muslim Immigration Ban.
Timeline
| 2015.11.20 | Trump says he'd "absolutely" require Muslims to register in a database. nytimes.com (See also Muslim Registry) |
| 2015.11.20 | Trump tweets "I didn't suggest a database-a reporter did. We must defeat Islamic terrorism & have surveillance, including a watch list, to protect America" twitter.com (See also Muslim Registry) |
| 2015.11.25 | Trump tweets "I LIVE IN NEW JERSEY & @realDonaldTrump IS RIGHT: MUSLIMS DID CELEBRATE ON 9/11 HERE! WE SAW IT!" twitter.com (See also Muslim Immigration Ban, Muslim Registry, Falsehoods) |
| 2015.12.07 | Donald Trump releases a statement calling for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States, citing a debunked online poll from a far right think tank that claims 25% of American Muslims support terrorism against the west. donaldjtrump.com (See also 2016 Campaign) |
| 2015.12.07 | Trump releases campaign statement on preventing Muslim immigration. donaldjtrump.com (See also Immigration, Immigrants, Muslim Immigration Ban) |
| 2015.12.08 | Governor Mike Pence: Calls to ban Muslims from entering the U.S. are offensive and unconstitutional. twitter.com (See also Mike Pence, Immigration, Domestic Policy, Muslim Immigration Ban) |
| 2016.02.19 | Trump gives speech during rally where he promotes an urban legend from an internet chain email about a Muslim massacre as fact. theguardian.com (See also Belief in Conspiracy Theories, 2016 Campaign) |
| 2016.05.16 | Trump urges Muslims to cooperate with police and "turn people in." bbc.com (See also Muslim Immigration Ban, Muslim Registry) |
| 2016.06.15 | Trump describes assimilation among American Muslims as nearly "non-existent" despite polling data indicating the opposite is true. washingtonpost.com |
| 2016.07.01 | Trump says he'll consider replacing hijab-wearing TSA agents with veterans. abcnews.go.com (See also Racism) |
| 2016.11.10 | Trump campaign staff redirects link to Muslim ban info on Trump website, but restores it after press inquiries. washingtonpost.com (See also Immigrants, Immigration, Muslim Immigration Ban) |
| 2016.11.15 | Trump advisor Kobach says transition team is planning for Mexico wall and considering Muslim registry. reuters.com (See also Mexico Wall, Muslim Registry, Presidential Transition) |
| 2016.11.17 | Civil rights advocates describe renewed support for Muslim registry as "abhorrent." npr.org (See also Muslim Registry) |
| 2016.11.17 | Muslims are alarmed by Trump supporter's description of Japanese internment as a precedent for a Muslim registry. nytimes.com (See also Muslim Registry) |
| 2016.11.18 | Trump's team said today that he had never advocated for "any registry or system that tracks individuals based on their religion" -- despite statements in the past that may be at odds with that. abcnews.go.com (See also Muslim Registry, Immigration, Racism) |
| 2016.11.18 | Trump’s security picks deepen Muslim worries about an anti-Islamic White House. washingtonpost.com (See also Department of Homeland Security) |
| 2016.11.27 | Mosques in five states receive letters calling for Muslim genocide. washingtonpost.com |
| 2016.12.15 | American Muslims and Jews form alliances to combat hate crimes after Trump's election victory nytimes.com (See also Jewish Americans) |
| 2016.12.15 | Hundreds of Silicon Valley employees pledge to resist efforts to create a Muslim registry. teenvogue.com (See also Technology, Muslim Registry) |
| 2016.12.21 | Trump, when asked about his proposed Muslim registry by a reporter, says "you know my plans." washingtonpost.com (See also Immigration, Immigrants, Muslim Registry) |
| 2016.12.22 | Kellyanne Conway says Trump will not ban Muslims from U.S. solely on religious grounds. cnn.com (See also Immigration, Immigrants, Muslim Immigration Ban) |
| 2016.12.22 | Obama just made it harder for Trump to create a Muslim Registry by ordering DHS to dismantle a dormant program that was used to track people from Muslim-majority countries. theatlantic.com (See also Muslim Registry, Racism) |
| 2016.12.22 | President Obama decides to formally dismantle post-9/11 NSEERS visitor registry program before Trump can revive it. nytimes.com (See also Muslim Registry) |
| 2017.01.05 | After the Berlin terrorist attack in December, President-elect Donald Trump repeated his intention to build a Muslim registry, here the San Francisco Chronicle appeals to Tech CEOs to say they will not build a Muslim registry sfchronicle.com (See also Muslim Registry, Racism) |
| 2017.01.06 | Full text of the Protect American Families Act of 2017. scribd.com (See also Immigration, Immigrants, Muslim Registry) Protect American Families Act of 2017 |
| 2017.01.06 | U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Cory Booker (D-NJ), and seven Senate colleagues introduce the Protect American Families Act. merkley.senate.gov (See also Immigration, Immigrants, Muslim Registry) |
| 2017.01.14 | San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee says he is "totally, 100 percent opposed" to Trump's proposed Muslim registry. sfgate.com (See also Muslim Registry) |
| 2017.01.17 | History professor Julian Lim explains why WWII Japanese American internment is not a valid precedent for a Muslim registry. houstonchronicle.com (See also Muslim Registry) |
| 2017.01.25 | Big city mayors vow to defy Trump on sanctuary cities order. usatoday.com (See also Sanctuary Cities, Domestic Policy, Muslim Immigration Ban) Mayors from New York, Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, Detroit and Seattle vow not to change how they treat undocumented immigrants. |
| 2017.01.25 | Trump’s next executive order will ban anyone from certain Muslim countries from entering the U.S. news.vice.com (See also First 100 Days, Muslim Immigration Ban) |
| 2017.01.26 | Led by National Security advisor Michael Flynn, Trump administration considers designating Muslim Brotherhood as terrorist group. reuters.com (See also First 100 Days, Michael Flynn) |
| 2017.01.26 | Trump critic and Gold Star father Khizr Khan says Trump's Muslim ban could threaten American security. cnn.com (See also Immigration, Immigrants, Muslim Immigration Ban) |
| 2017.01.27 | Trump's immigration freeze names seven mostly Muslim countries, yet their nationals haven't carried out lethal attacks in the U.S. since well before Sept. 11, 2001 and the order omits those countries linked to deadly attacks in U.S. npr.org (See also First 100 Days, Muslim Immigration Ban, immigration) |
| 2017.01.28 | A federal judge in New York has issued an emergency stay temporarily halting the removal of individuals detained after President Trump issued an order to ban immigrants from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the U.S. thehill.com (See also Muslim Immigration Ban, First 100 Days, Immigration) Judge grants emergency stay temporarily halting removal of those detained after Trump order. |
| 2017.01.28 | Detained Iraqis who worked for the U.S. file suits against Trump's immigration order. reuters.com (See also Immigration, Domestic Policy, Muslim Immigration Ban) The lawsuit filed on behalf of the Iraqis in Brooklyn, New York, cites that the order violates the U.S. Constitution's guarantee of due process by taking away their ability to apply for asylum, and violates the guarantee of equal protection by discriminating against them on the basis of their country of origin without sufficient justification. It also says the order violates procedural requirements of federal rulemaking. |
| 2017.01.28 | Google recalls staff after Trump executive order restricting entry for nationals of seven Muslim-majority countries. bbc.com (See also Immigration, Muslim Immigration Ban, Technology) |
| 2017.01.28 | Green card holders from seven Muslim countries included in immigration ban. reuters.com (See also Immigration, Domestic Policy, Muslim Immigration Ban) |
| 2017.01.28 | Just over a year ago Mike Pence called Trump’s Muslim ban ‘offensive and unconstitutional.’ Yesterday he stood at Trump's side as he signed the order. washingtonpost.com (See also Mike Pence, Muslim Immigration Ban, Immigration) |
| 2017.01.28 | Refugees en route to the US on Friday evening have been detained at U.S. airports, including SFO, challenge Trump’s executive order banning refugees from seven Muslim-dominated countries. mercurynews.com (See also First 100 Days, Muslim Immigration Ban) |
| 2017.01.28 | Some Congressional Republicans respond to criticism by speaking out against Muslim immigration ban; most, including Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell, remain silent. washingtonpost.com (See also First 100 Days, Muslim Immigration Ban, Immigrants, Immigration) |
| 2017.01.28 | The Islamic Center of Victoria, a mosque in Texas, was set on fire just hours after Trump signed an executive order restricting immigration from Muslim-majority countries. thinkprogress.org (See also Muslim Immigration Ban, Hate Crimes) |
| 2017.01.28 | The executive action targets seven majority-Muslim countries, but not six others where the president's private businesses are engaged. npr.org (See also First 100 Days, Muslim Immigration Ban, Conflicts of Interest, Trump Business) |
| 2017.01.28 | The seven nations that fall under the executive order don’t include countries with Trump Organization projects. washingtonpost.com (See also First 100 Days, Muslim Immigration Ban) The seven nations that fall under the executive order don’t include countries with Trump Organization projects. |
| 2017.01.29 | Giuliani says Trump consulted him on legally implementing Muslim ban. thehill.com (See also Muslim Immigration Ban, Domestic Policy, Immigration) |
| 2017.01.29 | Trump’s immigration executive order creates an international mess, a legal challenge, protests at major airports across the country, and his first defeat in court. politico.com (See also First 100 Days, Muslim Immigration Ban, Immigration, Immigrants) |
| 2017.01.30 | Acting Attorney General Sally Yates orders Justice Department not to defend Trump's executive order on immigration in court, stating concerns about its legality. nytimes.com (See also Immigration, Muslim Immigration Ban, Immigrants, Department of Justice) |
| 2017.01.30 | Trump fires acting Attorney General Sally Yates after she orders government lawyers not to defend Muslim immigration ban. nytimes.com (See also Department of Justice, Muslim Immigration Ban, Immigration, Presidential Activity, Immigrants, Assaults on Government) |
| 2017.01.31 | Justice Department releases State Department notice that "provisionally" revokes immigrant and non-immigrant visas already issued to citizens of nations listed in Trump's Muslim immigration ban. politico.com (See also Immigrants, Muslim Immigration Ban, Immigration) |
| 2017.01.31 | Spokane City Council unanimously approves ordinance prohibiting city employees from helping to create a religious registry. spokesman.com (See also Muslim Registry) |
| 2017.02.01 | Trump to focus counter-extremism program solely on Islam and no longer target groups such as white supremacists who have also carried out bombings and shootings in the United States. reuters.com (See also First 100 Days, Muslim Immigration Ban, Department of Homeland Security, John Kelly) |
| 2017.02.01 | U.N. Secretary General António Guterres says Trump's Muslim immigration ban violates "our basic principles," would not reduce terrorist threats, and should be immediately lifted. nytimes.com (See also Muslim Immigration Ban, United Nations) |
| 2017.02.02 | How Trump is getting away with violating court orders against his Muslim immigrant ban. slate.com (See also First 100 Days, Constitutional Issues, Muslim Immigration Ban, Immigration) |
| 2017.02.02 | Trump espouses a vision of religious nationalism at annual prayer breakfast. theatlantic.com (See also Nationalism, Immigrants, Constitutional Issues) His speech focused on the violent, ideological threats to America while vowing to repeal the Johnson Amendment. |
| 2017.02.03 | Federal Judge grants nationwide injunction against Trump Ban in Washington state lawsuit buzzfeed.com (See also Muslim Immigration Ban, Immigration) After a loss in federal court in Massachusetts, a federal judge in Washington issued the furthest reaching order yet against Trump's refugee and travel ban executive order. |
| 2017.02.03 | Government attorney reveals that over 100,000 visas have been revoked due to Trump's Muslim immigration ban. washingtonpost.com (See also Immigration, Muslim Immigration Ban, Immigrants) |
| 2017.02.04 | Thousands of people across the U.S. joined protests againt Trump's ban on travelers from seven Muslim-majority nations. abcnews.go.com (See also First 100 Days, Muslim Immigration Ban, Immigration) |
| 2017.02.06 | Jewish and Muslim activists respond to Trump's anti-Muslim rhetoric and actions by forming alliances previously unseen in the U.S. latimes.com (See also Jewish Americans, Muslim Immigration Ban) |
| 2017.02.06 | Lawyers defending President Trump's travel ban lost a major battle in court. How did they lose? The judge did not buy slams alternative facts. msnbc.com (See also First 100 Days, Assaults on Facts, Muslim Immigration Ban, Immigration) |
| 2017.02.07 | A San Francisco appeals court will hear arguments today on the nationwide freeze of Trump's extreme vetting program. politico.com (See also Muslim Immigration Ban, First 100 Days, Immigrants) |
| 2017.02.07 | A group of lawyers accuse Trump administration of failing to comply with Judge's order in travel ban lawsuit. lawnewz.com (See also Assaults on Government, First 100 Days, Muslim Immigration Ban, Immigration) They are asking a judge to force the Trump administration to disclose a list of any individuals detained by his ‘extreme vetting’ Executive Order and are also seeking the return of any individuals who were removed from the United States as a result of the order. |
| 2017.02.07 | Donald Trump faces day of struggles with Democrats trying to block Trump’s pick for education secretary in the morning, while the afternoon brings challenge to his immigration ban theguardian.com (See also Betsy DeVos, Department of Education, Muslim Immigration Ban, Immigration, First 100 Days) |
| 2017.02.07 | White House Weighs Terrorist Designation for Muslim Brotherhood, the oldest Islamist group in the Middle East with millions of followers. nytimes.com (See also First 100 Days) Designating it as a terrorist group would roil the region. |
| 2017.02.08 | DHS watchdog suggests customs officials may have violated court order at Dulles. politico.com (See also First 100 Days, Constitutional Issues, Muslim Immigration Ban, Immigration, Department of Homeland Security) The day after it went into effect, a federal judge said customs officials at Dulles had to provide detained travelers access to lawyers. |
| 2017.02.08 | Fadwa Alaoui tried to take her sick son to the United States but was turned back when an official found Muslim prayers on her phone. cbc.ca (See also First 100 Days, Muslim Immigration Ban) |
| 2017.02.09 | JUST IN: 9th Circuit: Ruling on Trump travel ban case will be filed before close of business Thursday - @PeteWilliamsNBC— NBC Nightly News twitter.com (See also First 100 Days, Muslim Immigration Ban, Immigration) |
| 2017.02.09 | Ninth Circuit rightly and unanimously rejects Trump administration's extravagant claims of virtually unreviewable power. Great news.— Laurence Tribe (@tribelaw) twitter.com (See also First 100 Days, Muslim Immigration Ban, Lawsuits) |
| 2017.02.09 | The court went out of its way in its opinion released Thursday to emphasize the right and the duty of the judiciary to rule on the constitutionality of executive action, even when national security is on the line. bloomberg.com (See also First 100 Days, Muslim Immigration Ban, Constitutional Issues, Immigrants) |
| 2017.02.09 | Trump lawyers get ready: After the 9th Circuit rules on the immigration ban, there'll be another challenge and another and another. bloomberg.com (See also First 100 Days, Constitutional Issues, Muslim Immigration Ban, Immigration) |
| 2017.02.09 | Trump travel ban hits major setback after judges uphold temporary restraining order issued last week to prevent 90-day travel ban from seven Muslim-majority countries and 120-day freeze on US admission of any refugees. theguardian.com (See also First 100 Days, Muslim Immigration Ban, Immigration) |
| 2017.02.10 | Canadian Muslim is grilled about her faith and view on Trump at US border stop and the case raises concerns that border patrol agents are targeting minorities in the wake of Trump's immigration ban. theguardian.com (See also First 100 Days) |
| 2017.02.10 | Trump quotes legal blog out of context to argue travel ban ruling is "a disgraceful decision." politico.com (See also First 100 Days, Assaults on Facts, Assaults on Government, Muslim Immigration Ban) |
| 2017.02.10 | White House considers rewriting Trump’s immigration order after an appeals court declined to restore the president’s controversial travel ban. washingtonpost.com (See also First 100 Days, Muslim Immigration Ban, Immigration) |
| 2017.02.16 | Southern Poverty Law Center reports that the number of U.S.-based hate groups rose in 2016 for the second straight year, with the number of anti-Muslim groups nearly tripling from 34 to 101. nbcnews.com (See also Hate Crimes, Islam, Islamophobia) |
| 2017.02.19 | Trump personally invites conspiracy radio host who has claimed Obama was attempting to use Ebola to commit white genocide and who has called for 100 million Muslims to be killed to the Mar-a-Lago for a Presidents Day party. twitter.com (See also First 100 Days, Belief in Conspiracy Theories) |
| 2017.02.25 | Trump administration claims 109 people were detained in the first 26 hours after Muslim immigration ban was enacted, when 746 people were actually detained. nytimes.com (See also Immigrants, Assaults on Facts, Executive Orders, Muslim Immigration Ban) |
| 2017.03.01 | A top White House aide is asked if Trump thinks Islam is a religion. He refused to answer. vox.com |
| 2017.03.06 | Trump's chief strategist Steve Bannon describes Islam as "a cancer" and says U.S. is fighting a "global existential war" against Islam in newly surfaced audiotapes. abcnews.go.com (See also Steve Bannon, Nationalism, Immigrants) |
| 2017.03.06 | Trump’s new travel ban blocks citizens of six predominantly Muslim nations, but not Iraq. nytimes.com (See also Muslim Immigration Ban, Immigrants, First 100 Days) The new restriction will apply to citizens of six predominantly Muslim nations in an effort to improve on a hastily drawn order in January that did not pass legal scrutiny. |
| 2017.03.07 | At a safe house in Buffalo, asylum seekers from around the world prepare to flee the U.S. for Canada. newyorker.com (See also Muslim Immigration Ban, Immigrants, First 100 Days) At a safe house in Buffalo, asylum seekers from around the world prepare to flee the U.S. for Canada. |
| 2017.03.07 | UN says Trump's new travel ban will worsen the plight of refugees. theguardian.com (See also United Nations, Muslim Immigration Ban, First 100 Days) High commissioner says refugees are not criminals as some affected Muslim-majority countries express disappointment |
| 2017.03.11 | More than 130 foreign policy experts say Trump's revised travel ban will 'weaken U.S. security and undermine U.S. global leadership.' nytimes.com (See also Muslim Immigration Ban, Immigration, First 100 Days) The signatories to a letter sent to President Trump and many cabinet members include the former Secretaries of State Madeleine Albright and John Kerry. |
| 2017.03.15 | Federal judge Derrick K. Watson issues nationwide block on Trump Administration's revised travel ban. nytimes.com (See also Muslim Immigration Ban, Immigration, Immigrants) |
| 2017.03.16 | Federal judges block Trump's revised travel ban based in part on anti-Muslim statements he made during his election campaign. nytimes.com (See also Muslim Immigration Ban, 2016 Campaign, First 100 Days) In an unusual move, federal judges who blocked the president’s revised travel ban considered statements he had made as a candidate regarding a Muslim ban. |
| 2017.03.16 | U.S. colleges and universities see 40% fewer foreign applicants amid Trump's travel ban and anti-Muslim rhetoric. nytimes.com (See also Muslim Immigration Ban, Education) College officials wondered if there would be a price to pay for the president’s travel ban and the anti-Muslim rhetoric. Now the first numbers are in. |
| 2017.05.25 | 4th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals upholds national freeze of Trump's Muslim travel ban in a 10-3 vote. washingtonpost.com (See also Muslim Immigration Ban, Immigration, Islamophobia) |
| 2017.06.02 | The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court to revive the president’s plan to temporarily ban citizens from six mostly Muslim countries. washingtonpost.com (See also Muslim Immigration Ban, Nationalism, Supreme Court) |
| 2017.06.05 | In a series of Twitter posts, Trump may have irretrievably undermined his lawyers’ efforts to persuade the Supreme Court to reinstate his executive order limiting travel from six predominantly Muslim countries. nytimes.com (See also Legal Activity, Muslim Immigration Ban) |
| 2017.06.12 | A second federal appeals court has ruled against Trump’s revised travel ban, delivering the latest in a string of defeats for the administration’s efforts to limit travel from several predominantly Muslim countries. nytimes.com (See also Muslim Immigration Ban, Legal Activity) |
Assessments
- 2015.11.21 "Donald Trump's Horrifying Words About Muslims" (CNN)
"Donald Trump's words on Thursday detailing the revolting measures he's open to imposing on Muslim-Americans literally sent a shudder down my spine." - 2016.12.30 "What U.S. Muslims Fear From Trump" (Washington Post)
"People like me — ordinary Americans with Muslim names and ancestry from Muslim-majority countries — fear being put on a watchlist, barred entry into the United States, even banned because of who we are." - 2016.11.15 "Can the Muslim American Family Survive Trump?" (Al Jazeera)
"Over the course of the week, my daughter would ask if we were going to be banned from the country, pleading after my every reassurance, 'But how do you know?'" - 2016.11.22 "Why Trump Terrifies American Muslims" (Fortune)
"Members of President-elect Trump’s transition team and cabinet selections have said horrifying things about Islam and Muslims, grounded in pure racism and xenophobia." - 2016.11.22 "Donald Trump and the Rise of Anti-Muslim Violence" (The Atlantic)
"The irony of Trump’s anti-Muslim rhetoric is that the candidate who promises to be tough on terror may be making America not only less safe for American Muslims, but for all Americans."