On the eight-year anniversary of Donald Trump calling for an extreme Muslim travel ban, DNC National Press Secretary Sarafina Chitika released the following statement: 

“Eight years ago today, Donald Trump called for a Muslim travel ban on the campaign trail – and at his first opportunity, he made his Islamophobic, unconstitutional, and racist vision a reality. When Trump tells you who he is and what he plans to do if he regains power – including his aspirations to be a ‘dictator on day one’ – we should believe him, because he’s followed through on extreme threats before. Trump has been clear that if he’s elected again, he will enact an even more extreme Muslim ban in a second term. Trump might have been the first of the 2024 candidates to push this radical, anti-American proposal, but other members of the field are falling in line to do the same. The stakes of the upcoming election couldn’t be higher – voters rejected this hateful, divisive agenda in 2020, and they’ll do it again next November.”

Eight years ago, Donald Trump first called for a Muslim travel ban — a cruel policy proposal he saw through when he took power. 

NBC News, December 2015: “Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump on Monday called for a ‘total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States,’ the most dramatic response yet to the string of terrorist attacks that have Americans increasingly on edge.”

Trump not only called for but also acted on his extreme Muslim ban as soon as he assumed power – which caused chaos and confusion across the country.

NPR: “President Trump has issued an executive order temporarily banning travel from seven Muslim-majority countries. The move, which has raised a series of legal questions, sparked protests around the country as people who had previously been approved to come to the United States were being detained at airports.”

CNN: “The result was widespread confusion across the country on Saturday as airports struggled to adjust to the new directives.”

In 2023, Donald Trump has only doubled down on his hate-filled, extreme MAGA agenda, promising to not only revive but expand his Muslim travel ban if he retakes power. 

The Guardian: “Doubling down on the hardline immigration policies that have long animated his base, Donald Trump on Monday vowed to bar refugees from Gaza and immediately expand his first-term Muslim travel ban if he wins a second term following the deadly attack on Israel last week.”

Trump has a long history of peddling Islamophobia, from his egregious comments to his inhumane policy proposals. 

The Independent: “Donald Trump tweeted a link to Breitbart, ​a far-right website that peddles xenophobia and extremist ideologies, as a terrorist conducted a brutal massacre in New Zealand after releasing a manifesto that celebrated the US president as ‘a symbol of renewed white identity and common purpose.’

“The tragedy, in which two mosques were seemingly the target of a terrorist attack spearheaded by an Australian 28-year-old white male, occurred on Friday in Christchurch, New Zealand — the same day Breitbart featured an interview with Mr Trump on its homepage.”

New York Times: “Donald J. Trump belittled the parents of a slain Muslim soldier who had strongly denounced Mr. Trump during the Democratic National Convention, saying that the soldier’s father had delivered the entire speech because his mother was not ‘allowed’ to speak.”

CNN: “Trump’s history of anti-Muslim rhetoric hits dangerous new low”

“On Wednesday morning, President Donald Trump retweeted a series of anti-Muslim propaganda videos shared online by a high-ranking official in the ultra-nationalist UK political group Britain First.”

Beyond Trump, extreme MAGA Republicans running for president have shameful histories of spewing Islamophobia and supporting a Muslim ban. 

Politico: “President Donald Trump’s ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, defended the administration’s new travel ban in an interview that aired Thursday, asserting that ‘it’s not a Muslim ban.’”

NBC News: “Before Trump, a low-profile congressman named Ron DeSantis sought a ‘Muslim travel ban’”

“In 2017, President Donald Trump triggered national outrage for implementing a so-called Muslim travel ban, blocking U.S. admissions for travelers from predominantly Muslim countries.” 

“But even before Trump suggested such a ban, a low-profile congressman named Ron DeSantis quietly introduced what amounted to an early version of that travel order. … which would have blocked entry of refugees from certain countries ‘if the alien is a national of, has habitually resided in, or is claiming refugee status due to events in any country containing terrorist-controlled territory.’” 

DeSantis, echoing Trump’s Muslim ban rhetoric: “Bringing people in, in mass numbers, you’re also bringing in the culture that they’re coming from.” 

NBC News: “And even though he talked about the scourge of antisemitism throughout the day, Ramaswamy refused to directly answer a question about whether Islamophobia is also a significant problem in the country.” 

“‘I don’t want to see anyone face danger for their faith or for their ethnicity,’ he said, before he turned to his message about freedom of speech.”