FT. LAUDERDALE, FL — (CNN) Donald Trump on Wednesday repeatedly called President Barack Obama the “founder” of ISIS and labeled Hillary Clinton the “co-founder.”
At a rally in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Trump also said that ISIS “honors” Obama — who the GOP nominee referred to as “Barack Hussein Obama.”
After lamenting the “mistake” the US made by going to war in Iraq — a conflict he repeatedly says that he opposed, despite evidence to the contrary — Trump then criticized Obama’s attempts to “clean up.”
“Normally you want to clean up; he made a bigger mess out of it. He made such a mess. And then you had Hillary with Libya, so sad,” Trump said.
“In fact, in many respects, you know they honor president Obama. ISIS is honoring President Obama. He is the founder of ISIS. He’s the founder of ISIS, OK? He’s the founder. He founded ISIS.”
He then said that the “co-founder” of ISIS was Clinton.
Did Obama underplay ISIS’ influence?
Critics say Obama has played down the terror threat and, while still on a victory lap after the killing of Osama bin Laden, failed to anticipate the rise of ISIS.
Trump later called Obama by his full name, “Barack Hussein Obama,” in a jab at his handling of the Russian involvement in Crimea.
Conservatives opponents of the Obama administration have used the president’s middle name to highlight what they see as Muslim sympathies and Trump had for a long time claimed Obama was not born in the US.
In fact, Obama is a Christian who was born in the US.
Following June’s horrific nightclub shooting in Orlando, Trump had suggested that Obama had an ulterior motive.
“We’re led by a man who is very — look, we’re led by a man that either is not tough, not smart, or he’s got something else in mind. And the something else in mind, you know, people can’t believe it,” Trump said on Fox News’ “Fox and Friends.”
“People cannot believe, they cannot believe that President Obama is acting the way he acts and he can’t even mention the words ‘radical Islamic terrorism.’ There’s something going on. It’s inconceivable. There’s something going on.”
Obama has previously responded: “Calling a threat by a different name doesn’t make it go away.”
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