WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump continued his inflammatory rhetoric regarding Muslims on Wednesday, suggesting the Islamic religion is at war with the West.
'I think Islam hates us,' Trump said in an interview with CNN's Anderson Cooper. 'There's a tremendous hatred. We have to get to the bottom of it. There's an unbelievable hatred of us.'
Trump declined to say whether the hatred was within Islam itself, however, arguing media members such as Cooper will have to figure that out for themselves.
At the same time, the real estate tycoon seemed to stand by his proposed ban on all Muslim immigration into the U.S.
'We have to be very vigilant. We have to be very careful,' Trump said. 'We can't allow people coming into this country who have this hatred of the United States.'
Trump also reiterated his argument that the U.S. has to be tougher in the fight against terrorism due to the brutal tactics of groups such as ISIS.
'Everybody believes in the Geneva Convention until they start losing and then they say, 'oh, let's take out the bomb.' Trump said. 'We have to play with a tougher set of rules.'
The billionaire's rhetoric regarding Muslims has drawn criticism from some quarters, but that has not stopped his march toward the Republican presidential nomination.
Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX