Timeline: Donald Trump's Ban On Muslims Entering The U.S. Never Changed

On Monday, Trump campaign spokeswoman Katrina Pierson claimed that Donald Trump never intended for his Muslim ban to apply to “all Muslims” — despite the fact that Trump literally introduced his fundamentally un-American proposal as “a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States.” Pierson then claimed that Trump’s ban was only ever an “immigration policy” to curtail “Muslim immigration” among those “individuals…who cannot be vetted.”

As the below timeline illustrates, Pierson’s claims are refuted by Donald Trump’s own words. He’s repeatedly committed to a blanket ban on the basis of individuals’ religious beliefs. Trump’s ban has always been about fascist-like profiling on the basis of religion.

Trump admitted as much just one day after he announced the ban, when he said he envisioned U.S. customs and immigration officials asking individuals, “Are you Muslim?” and barring them entry should they answer in the affirmative.

Further evidence that Trump’s proposal is far more insidious than Pierson admitted: In the months leading up to his ban announcement, Trump repeatedly — see: here, here, and here, among others — pledged to deport Syrians living in the U.S., describing them on at least one occasion as “probably” ISIS.

Take it from Trump, himself: He isn’t backing away from his Muslim ban (5/4/16), “softening” his stance (5/13/16), or “backing down” (6/5/16).

Donald Trump’s Muslim Ban Hasn’t Changed:

DECEMBER 2015: Trump: “Donald J. Trump Is Calling For A Total And Complete Shutdown Of Muslims Entering The United States.” “Donald J. Trump is calling for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States.” [Donald Trump, Rally, Mt. Pleasant, SC, 12/7/15]

DECEMBER 2015: Trump Said That His Muslim Ban Would Be Enforced By Border Patrol Agents Asking People Their Religion: “They Would Say ‘Are You Muslim?’” [“Morning Joe,” MSNBC, 12/8/15]

JANUARY 2016: Trump Said He Would Not Reconsider His Position On Banning Muslims From Entering The United States: “We Have To Stop With Political Correctness.” [Donald Trump, Fox Business Debate, Charleston, SC, 1/14/16]

FEBRUARY 2016: Trump: “When I Said ‘Muslim,’ I Was Met With Furor. If I Would’ve Said ‘Christian,’ People Would’ve Said, ‘Oh We Can’t Do Anything About It.’” [Donald Trump, Rally, Fort Worth, TX, 2/26/16]

MARCH 2016: Trump Said There Was “No Choice” But To Ban Muslims From The U.S. After The Brussels Bombing. [“Situation Room,” CNN, 3/22/16]

MAY 2016: Trump Said He Would Continue To Support A Ban On Muslims During The General Election: “I Don’t Care If It Hurts Me. I’m Doing The Right Thing.” [“Morning Joe,” MSNBC, 5/4/16]

MAY 2016: Asked If He Stood By His Plan To Ban Muslims From The U.S. As A General Election Position, Trump Said “I Do.” [“Nightly News,” NBC, 5/4/16]

MAY 2016: Trump Said He Would Stick With His Ban “Until We Figure Out What’s Going On. We have to be very tough.” [“Situation Room,” CNN, 5/4/16]

MAY 2016: Trump On His Muslim Ban: “I’m Not Softening My Stance At All.” [“Today Show,” NBC, 5/13/16]

JUNE 2016: Trump: “I’m Not Backing Down.” [“Face the Nation,” CBS, 6/5/16]

JUNE 2016: Trump Said He Would Impose His Muslim Ban Via Executive Order: “I Will Suspend Immigration From Areas Of The World Where There Is A Proven History Of Terrorism Against The United States.” [Donald Trump, Remarks on Terrorism, Immigration and National Security, Manchester, NH, 6/13/16]

Published: Jun 28, 2016