The White House on Friday delivered a sweeping indictment of Donald Trump--and the larger Republican part--for the billionaire businessman's failure to correct an audience member who called the president a Muslim, saying such comments are destructive and pandering to "offensive views." White House denounces Trump and his followers

The White House on Friday delivered a sweeping indictment of Donald Trump — and the larger Republican party — for the billionaire businessman's failure to correct an audience member who called the president a Muslim, saying such comments are destructive and pandering to "offensive views."

The sharp words from White House press secretary Josh Earnest, which tied Trump to members of the House GOP leadership and congressional dysfunction, came as the Obama administration has increasingly responded to the Republican front-runner’s more inflammatory statements.


“Mr. Trump isn’t the first Republican politician to countenance these kinds of views in order to win votes,” Earnest said. “In fact, that’s precisely what every Republican presidential candidate is doing when they decline to denounce Mr. Trump’s cynical strategy.”

In fact, a few of the Republican contenders — though nowhere close to all of the 16-person field — have criticized Trump’s handling of an exchange at campaign event in New Hampshire on Thursday. An attendee referred to Muslims as “a problem in this country” and added “you know our president is one.” Trump, who has questioned President Barack Obama’s citizenship in the past, launched into an answer without correcting the man’s aside or noting that Obama is Christian.

Trump’s campaign said he didn’t hear that part of the question — a defense Earnest dismissed.

“People who hold these offensive views,” Earnest said, “are part of Mr. Trump’s base. And Mr. Trump himself would be the first to tell you that he’s got the biggest base of any Republican politician these days.”

But Earnest didn’t limit his critique to Trump, or even the Republican’s 2016 field. Unprompted, he issued a selected history of the past few years in Congress.

“You will recall that one Republican congressman told a reporter that he was David Duke without the baggage. That congressman was elected by a majority of his colleagues in the House of Representatives to the third-highest-ranking position in the House,” Earnest said, referring to Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.). “Those same members of Congress blocked immigration reform. Those same members of Congress opposed reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act. Those same members of Congress couldn’t support a simple funding bill because they were eager to defend the Confederate flag. So those are the priorities of today’s Republican Party, and they’ll continue to be until someone in the Republican Party decides to summon the courage to stand up and change it.”

Those remarks "crossed the line," said a spokesman for House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), Cory Fritz. "These types of disgusting, over-the-top attacks only divide Americans and make it that much harder to find common ground on the important issues facing our country.”

Some Republican candidates did call Trump out on Friday. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), a close ally of Sen. John McCain, whose response in a similar situation in 2007 Earnest praised, said Trump should apologize to the president.

“You had a chance here to show who you were,” Graham said. “This happens to all of us. It happened to John McCain. You have to push back.”

Gov. Chris Christie said on “Today” that Trump “has got to decide how serious a candidate he wants to be.”

Christie added that he would’ve handled the situation differently. “I would've said, 'No, listen. Before we answer, let's clear some things up for the rest of the audience.’ And I think you have an obligation as a leader to do that.”

Democratic candidates have been quick to pile on. Hillary Clinton said she was “appalled,” and Martin O’Malley tweeted, “‘Muslim’ is not a slur. You cannot scapegoat your way to the presidency.”

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued a series of tweets, including, “Trump must apologize to the president and American people for continuing the lie that the president is not an American and not a Christian.”

The White House has increasingly gone after Trump in recent days, with Vice President Joe Biden attacking his “sick message” at a reception in observance of Hispanic Heritage Month on Tuesday.

But Earnest was eager to spread the blame well beyond Trump, especially as Washington enters a countdown to a potential government shutdown.

“There is an awareness among some in the Republican Party about this significant problem that they have,” Earnest said, referring to the Republican National Committee’s so-called autopsy report after the 2012 election that called for better outreach to minorities. Earnest questioned whether it had had any impact.

“The most relevant issue here is the frequency with which significant, influential players in Republican politics continue to countenance these views as they build political support, Earnest said, adding, “It has consequences for the ability of a Republican majority in Congress to run the country.”