Comments marked new escalation in rhetoric warning of the danger of admitting refugees into US as he addressed issue of terrorism following bombing attacks

This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

Donald Trump on Wednesday described the threat posed by Syrian refugees as not “only a matter of terrorism, but also a matter of quality of life”.

The statement marked a new escalation of Trump’s rhetoric warning of the danger of admitting into the US Syrian refugees, whom he has repeatedly compared to the Trojan horse.

Trump’s remarks came at a rally in Toledo, Ohio, where the Republican nominee once again addressed the issue of terrorism in the aftermath of the bombing attacks in New York and New Jersey in the past week.

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He linked the attack to the admission of immigrants and refugees from overseas. “We’ve admitted tens of thousands with no effective screening plan,” Trump claimed, adding: “We have no idea who we are letting in. You’ve seen what happened.”

The US has an extensive refugee screening program for those entering from Syria that takes up to two years. The accused New York bomber, Ahmad Khan Rahami, entered the US as a child and is a naturalized citizen.

The Republican nominee expanded his argument, bringing in concerns about “quality of life”.

Trump claimed: “Altogether, the Hillary Clinton plan would bring in 620,000 refugees in the first term. Her plan would cost $400bn in terms of lifetime welfare and entitlement costs – think of that.”

Both of these figures have been proven false by independent fact-checkers.

Trump continued: “Not only the danger of it all – this isn’t only a matter of terrorism, but also a matter of quality of life. We want to make sure we’re only admitting those into our country who support our values and love – and I mean love – our people.”

Trump’s claim that refugees hurt “quality of life” marked the latest controversial statement from his campaign this week about those fleeing from the civil war and humanitarian crisis in the Middle East. On Monday night, his son, Donald Jr, wrote a tweet comparing refugees to poisoned skittles. The statement sparked an immediate backlash and prompted a spokesperson for Wrigley, the owner of Skittles, to issue a statement saying: “Skittles are candy, refugees are people.”

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The Republican nominee was preceded onstage again by Don King, the boxing promoter and convicted felon. King, who was convicted in 1966 of stomping a man to death, raised eyebrows earlier in the day when he used the N-word in introducing Trump at an event in Cleveland. In Toledo, King told the crowd, “You must recognize that Trump is a spirit,” and compared the Republican nominee to John the Baptist.