The controversial candidate said he was just lashing out.
LAS VEGAS — Donald Trump has finally released a statement in time for the Nevada caucuses that fully apologizes for his controversial comments on Muslims and explains his anger.
“The truth is I am a Muslim," Trump said in the statement this past Tuesday. “And it hurts me to see all that’s happening, and it hurts me to see all the criticism for my religion, and it just made me lash out. I’ve acted like a rebellious child, trying to fight what I feel and believe with anger and hate. That’s just not who I am. I am a loving human being and a Muslim.”
Trump’s every word was met with roars and cheers from his supporters, who quickly changed their minds on every issue regarding Muslims in support for their candidate.
“Islam is a religion of peace,” Trump said. “And that’s who I am. I am a peaceful person. My violent words toward Muslims have brought me down to new levels of shame, and it’s just crazy to ban all the Muslims from entering the United States. I was just insecure. I saw what was happening, and I doubted myself and my faith. But it didn’t take me long to realize that every religion has its dark times and that these people who are doing these awful things are just extremists. We can’t prevent these innocent Muslim people who seek refuge from coming into our country. We can’t leave them out there all alone with the dangerous people. That’s just defeating the entire purpose of our nation as an arbiter of justice, if that’s really what we are.”
Within the span of last week to this one, polls among Trump supporters have rapidly changed. The desire to ban all Muslims from entering the U.S. has fallen from 66 percent to 4 percent, and reportedly 37 percent of Trump supporters have converted to Islam upon hearing the news.
“I knew it all along,” Jane Smith, a Trump supporter, said in a recent interview. “I never truly supported the ban. I mean, I did, but I don’t anymore. Because Islam is a religion of peace.”
In response to a question about if she had ever read the Quran, Smith said, “No, I haven’t, but I do know it’s a religion of peace and not a religion of violence. I hadn’t thought that before, but you know, Donald Trump has really opened my eyes on a lot of things.”
Another changing opinion has been whether or not Islam is a religion of peace, changing from 3 percent of Trump supporters saying yes to a drastic 95 percent. When asked if they had ever read any of the Quran, the percentage remained a steady 97 percent.
“And I want to remind you all,” Trump said, closing his statement, “that the Mexicans coming here are still terrible people. Now that we’re less worried about the Muslims, we can spend more time thinking about that wall.”
Marco Omta is a freshman studying music production. What do you think of Trump's dramatic shift? Email Marco at mo183714@ohio.edu.
