Trump Says Muslims More Likely to Fight ISIS If They're Banned From US

The Republican front-runner said Muslims will want to re-enter the country.

ByABC News
March 30, 2016, 8:12 PM

— -- Donald Trump said that his proposed ban on Muslims entering the country may have the effect of motivating them to fight ISIS in order to attempt to return to the U.S. at some point.

Trump made the statement Wednesday during an MSNBC town hall, when the GOP presidential front-runner was asked by Chris Matthews about the temporary ban he suggested in December.

Matthews asked if Muslims would be more ill-disposed to fighting ISIS if a ban was imposed.

"I don't know, maybe they'll be more disposed to fight ISIS," Trump said. "Maybe they'll say, 'We want to come back into America, we've got to solve this problem.'"

On Dec. 7, Trump called for a "total and complete shutdown" of Muslims entering the U.S. until "our country's representatives can figure out what is going on."

When asked which Muslims would be banned from entering, Trump's campaign manager Corey Lewandowski told ABC News at the time "the ban applies to everyone."

When Matthews asked Trump about his stance on nuclear warfare during the televised town hall, Trump refused to outright declare a ban on nuclear weapons.

"Can you tell the Middle East we're not using a nuclear weapon on anybody?" Matthews asked.

"I would never say that," Trump replied. "I would never take any of my cards off the table."

Later in the exchange, when instructed by Matthews to pledge he would never use a nuclear weapon in Europe, Trump refused.

"I'm not going to use nuclear, but I'm not taking any cards off the table," Trump said, referring to Europe.