The
two major party candidates' responses again highlighted the sharp
differences in their foreign policy stances, with Trump reiterating his
belief that the U.S. needs to be "tough" in its response to terrorism.
In Nice, France, a driver plowed into a crowd celebrating Bastille Day,
killing more than 70 people. On Friday, a National Security spokesman
said Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and
Counterterrorism Lisa Monaco has kept President Barack Obama regularly
apprised of the situation and investigation. That spokesman said the
White House expects Obama to speak to his French counterpart sometime
soon though no call has been planned.
Although
it was not immediately clear whether the assailant had pledged
allegiance to ISIS, Fox News' Bill O'Reilly asked Trump if he would seek
a declaration of war from Congress against the terror group.
"I would, I would. This is war," Trump replied. "If you look at it, this is war coming from all different parts."
He
reiterated his belief that "we have to be tough" and his view that the
U.S. should reverse its decision to allow Syrian refugees into the
country.
"You know, in the old
days, we would have uniforms, you knew what you were fighting. We are
allowing people into our country who we have no idea where they are,
where they're from, who they are, they have no paperwork, they have no
documentation, in many cases," Trump said.
Asked
later Thursday about Trump's response by CNN's Anderson Cooper, Clinton
said it was "clear" that the U.S. was at war with terrorist groups, but
she said it "was a very different kind of war." But, she argued,
greater intelligence gathering, not military force, was necessary.
"They
would love to draw the United States into a ground war in Syria,"
Clinton said. "I would be very focused on the intelligence surge. I
would be very focused on working with our partners and allies and
intensify our efforts against the ideologues that pedal radical jihadism
online."
Cooper
then asked Clinton if the U.S. was at war with "radical Islam" -- a
phrase Trump often uses on the campaign trail and says is necessary to
identify the threat. Clinton and Obama, however, have largely shied away
from using the term, believing that associating terrorists with Islam helps to legitimize their interpretation of the religion.
"We're
at war against radical jihadists who use Islam to recruit and
radicalize others in order to pursue their evil agenda," Clinton
responded. "It's not so important what we call these people as what we
do about them, and I think back to our success in getting (Osama) bin
Laden, it was important that we built the case, we got the information
and the President ordered the raid."
Clinton
also dismissed the presumptive Republican nominee's concern about the
potential of terrorists infiltrating the U.S. by posing as Syrian
refugees.
"I would not
short-circuit the vetting process," Clinton said. "If we are talking
about women, children, orphans who are fleeing horrific violence, that's
a different category than young men or people who have some record that
could be ferreted out as some concern."
Obama
did not map out a response in his statement on the France attack, but
called it a "horrific terrorist attack." He pledged U.S. support to
France as it investigates the attack.
Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, who on Thursday accepted Trump's offer to be his running mate, also issued a statement on the attack, which he said was "a horrific reminder of the threat facing Western civilization."
"As
we mourn with the people of France, we must resolve to bring justice
all those responsible and defeat this enemy of civilization at its
source," Pence said.
Other notable
political figures stood in solidarity with those affected by the attack.
"Our hearts are with the victims of what appears to be yet another
unconscionable act of terror," House Speaker Paul Ryan said in a
statement.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell tweeted, "We stand with the people of France. #NiceFrance."
Vermont
independent Sen. Bernie Sanders tweeted, "My thoughts are with the
families and loved ones of those killed in Nice. The United States
stands ready to support the French people."
"It appears terrorism has
again struck the heart of Europe. Civilized & freedom loving nations
cannot allow this to become the new normal," Florida Sen. Marco Rubio
tweeted.
House
Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi tweeted, "Hatred in all its forms must
end. We stand in solidarity with France after the horrific.
#BastilleDayTragedy."
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