WASHINGTON -- Efforts to vilify Muslims "counter" efforts to protect the U.S from domestic terrorist attacks, Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said Wednesday.

"It's critical for our homeland security mission that we build bridges to American Muslim communities," Johnson told reporters at a breakfast sponsored by the Christian Science Monitor. "Overheated rhetoric and vilification of American Muslims are counter to those efforts."

Johnson said U.S. authorities are trying to enlist Muslim communities to fight terrorism. Ben Rhodes, a deputy national security advisor to President Barack Obama, said in December that residents might know if someone had been radicalized in advance of that person trying to launch a terrorist attack.

Republican nominee Donald Trump has called for banning Muslims from entering the U.S. and in his convention acceptance speech last month talked about "Islamic radicals," an "Islamic terrorist," and a hateful foreign ideology."

Johnson, who made similar remarks about attacking Muslims at last month's Aspen Security Conference, said he would not single out any candidate by name.

Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton highlighted Trump's remarks about Muslims at her party's national convention in Philadelphia when the parents of an American Muslim U.S. Army veteran killed in Iraq took the stage.

The father of Capt. Humayun Khan, Khizr Khan, said his son never would have been allowed into the U.S., let alone give his life for his country, if Trump had been president.

"Donald Trump consistently smears the character of Muslims," Khan said. "He disrespects other minorities -- women, judges, even his own party leadership. He vows to build walls and ban us from this country."

Those comments led to several days of attacks from Trump, who questioned why Khan's wife, Ghazala, stood silently by him and "had nothing to say," wondered aloud whether Clinton's campaign wrote the speech, and said he had "made a lot of sacrifices."

Trump said Wednesday that he had no regrets about the incident.

"I said nice things about the son," Trump told Washington television station WJLA-TV. "But, of course, I was hit very hard from the stage and, you know, it's just one of those things. But, no, I don't regret anything."

Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JDSalant. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.