Donald Trump has given new meaning to the word “muddled.” He doesn’t seem to be able to make a single direct statement.
In my former life, I was a speech/language pathologist. I used to evaluate expressive language. I can tell you that virtually every comment made by Donald Trump shows a frightening lack of clarity. He repeats himself, attempts to repair his thoughts, interrupts himself, and interjects meaningless words and phrases.
What is even more alarming is that his thinking seems to be no clearer than his speech.
Trump is famous for changing his positions on key issues. Whether it’s single payer health care, abortion, or the Clintons, he changes his mind over and over again.
Now Trump is trying to repair and revise his ugly promise to ban all Muslims from the United States.
Addicting Info is reporting that CNN reporter Jeremy Diamond talked to Trump in Scotland and tweeted out the candidate’s new position.
Hope Hicks then confirmed to me Trump indeed no longer supports his blanket Muslim ban. He only wants to ban Muslims from terror states /4
— Jeremy Diamond (@JDiamond1) June 25, 2016
He then told me 1-on-1 that he would focus on "people coming from the terror states" and said "we are going to be so vigilant" with them /2
— Jeremy Diamond (@JDiamond1) June 25, 2016
So, OK. He’s not going to ban all Muslims from traveling here. He’s only going to ban the ones from “terror states.”
Here’s the problem, though.
Which terror states?
A look at the State Department website shows that only 3 countries are designated as state sponsors of terrorism. Those countries are Syria, Iran, and Sudan.
Would that mean Muslims from Yemen and Saudi Arabia will be welcome by Trump?
Would Christians from Sudan be allowed in? What about refugees? What if a Muslim was living in Scotland but had been born in Afghanistan?
What the heck does he mean when he says he’ll be “so vigilant” with them?
Don’t look for clarity from the ever-rambling, bumbling Mr. Trump. He said:
“I don’t want people coming in — I don’t want people coming in from certain countries. I don’t want people coming in from the terror countries. You have terror countries! I don’t want them, unless they’re very, very strongly vetted.”
When he was asked which countries he meant by “terror countries,” he answered:
“They’re pretty well-decided. All you have to do is look!”
In other words, he has no idea. He has no idea which countries are “terror countries.” He has no idea what he means by vigilant. He has no idea which countries’ Muslims he would ban. He has no idea what it means to be strongly vetting immigrants.
He has no idea.
Watch the video below. Listen while Trump explains, one short week ago, how he would have prevented the Orlando shooting by not allowing the killer’s parents to immigrate from Afghanistan.
A country that is, you know, not on the State Department list of state sponsors of terrorism.
Featured image via YouTube screengrab.
