Trump Says 'I Think Islam Hates Us'

Trump made the remarks in an interview with CNN.

ByABC News
March 9, 2016, 10:11 PM

— -- Republican frontrunner Donald Trump said during an interview Wednesday that he believes “Islam hates us” and that there was "a tremendous amount of hatred there."

Trump, speaking to CNN’s Anderson Cooper, made headlines last fall when he suggested a “temporary ban” on Muslims should be enacted “until we can figure out what is going on,” referring to the recent terror attacks in San Bernardino, CA at that time.

"There's something there, there's a tremendous hatred there. There's a tremendous hatred. We have to get to the bottom of it. There is an unbelievable hatred of us," Trump said. Trump added that it was difficult to delineate between Islam and its radical adherents.

“It’s very hard to separate, because you don’t know who’s who," he told Cooper.

When Cooper asked about his stance on torture, Trump denied changing his stance. "I didn't reverse anything," he said.

During the GOP debate in Detroit, he said that he would do a "hell of a lot worse” than waterboarding to terrorist suspects, and also authorize the military to kill family members of terrorists.

But then in a statement released the next day, he said that he would "understand that the United States is bound by laws and treaties and I will not order our military or other officials to violate those laws and will seek their advice on such matters.”

Fresh of his triple victory Tuesday in Michigan, Mississippi and Hawaii –- Trump held a massive rally in Fayetteville, NC.

"Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, and Hawaii. Wow, so we’ve been winning a lot and now this week we have Florida which is an amazing place you know I mean it’s gonna be amazing and as you know we have Ohio where you have an absentee governor,” Trump said referring to his opponent and sitting Ohio Gov. John Kasich.

Trump was cut off during his rally by 17 interruptions from protesters, at one point asking the crowd: “Where do these people come from?”

Outside, the protesters ejected were joined by many others protesting the billionaire shouting “NO Trump, No KKK, No Fascist USA”.

Trump will have a quiet Thursday ahead of the next debate in Miami, FL.