http://www.wsj.com/articles/donald-trump-back-pedals-on-banning-muslims-from-u-s-1467058774Donald Trump Back-Pedals on Banning Muslims From U.S.Republican candidate moves toward more nuanced policy targeting countries with record of terrorism
By BETH REINHARD and DAMIAN PALETTA
Updated June 27, 2016 5:03 p.m. ET
Donald Trump appears to be backing away from one of his signature and most controversial proposals—banning Muslims from entering the U.S.—as polls show him falling slightly behind Hillary Clinton.
Since Mr. Trump essentially clinched the GOP presidential nomination in May, amid widespread popularity of his proposed ban among primary voters, he has gradually moved away from a blanket religious ban and toward a more nuanced policy targeting countries with a record of terrorism.
Mr. Trump’s policy director, Stephen Miller, said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal on Monday, “The best way to prevent continued radicalization from developing inside America is to suspend temporarily immigration from regions that have been a major source for terrorists and their supporters coming to the U.S.”
But the evolution of the policy has come in fits and starts, with conflicting statements by Mr. Trump that have confused some of his strongest supporters on Capitol Hill. Mr. Trump has never said he was wrong about the temporary Muslim ban or explicitly said he was abandoning that policy.
Asked about the confusion, one of Mr. Trump’s top foreign-policy advisers, retired Rear Admiral Charles Kubic, said he was “working with the campaign to address this issue.” He said he expected a statement from the campaign headquarters this week.
Mr. Trump was tied with Mrs. Clinton, the presumptive Democratic nominee, in late May and now lags by more than 6 percentage points, according to the Real Clear Politics polling average. The latest Wall Street Journal/NBC News survey showed him with 41% support, compared with 46% for Mrs. Clinton.
Counter-terrorism and national-security experts who disagreed with a Muslim ban said a geographic immigration policy still raised concerns, because Mr. Trump so far had not detailed which countries would qualify and how he would measure their records on terrorism. Among the questions: Would it apply to Northern Ireland, which has weathered terror attacks that weren’t carried out by Islamic extremists, and Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of most of the 9/11 hijackers that is also a top American ally?
Typically, presidential candidates travel abroad to flaunt their foreign-policy chops, but Mr. Trump’s first trip overseas this past weekend was focused on promoting his new golf course in Scotland. When pressed by reporters for details on his national-security policies, Mr. Trump said he would block immigrants from “countries with great terrorism.” Muslims from Scotland or other parts of Great Britain “wouldn’t bother me,” he said.
Two of Mr. Trump’s foreign-policy advisers on Monday said they were unavailable for comment or didn’t have permission to speak to reporters.
Carl Paladino, the 2010 Republican gubernatorial nominee in New York and a top Trump supporter, said he didn’t think Mr. Trump was changing his national-security policy.
“I don’t think it was ever a ban directed at religion,” said Mr. Paladino, who attended a recent speech by Mr. Trump in Manhattan that focused on banning Syrian refugees who haven’t been properly vetted, rather than Muslims.
He added: “Expecting a clear definition is a little bit much in the middle of a presidential campaign.”
Exit polls showed that large majorities of Republican primary voters and caucus-goers backed Mr. Trump’s proposal, made in December, to temporarily block Muslims from the U.S.
A Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll released Monday found that 49% of registered voters oppose a temporary Muslim ban, suggesting that the proposal could be an obstacle in the general election. Some 34% of voters supported the proposed ban. A number of top Republican leaders, including House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, denounced the proposal.
For Mr. Trump, retreating from the Muslim ban carries risks and rewards: He could alienate staunch, rank-and-file supporters but also could engender goodwill in a Republican political establishment still wary of his candidacy.
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