Rick Santorum Defended Donald Trump’s Plan to Ban Muslims From Traveling to the US

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In what could be his final appearance on the GOP debate stage this election cycle, Rick Santorum (who’s polling at 0.3 percent, which is second to last) ramped up his rhetoric on Muslims and terrorism. “We have entered World War III!” he declared.

.@RickSantorum says “We have entered World War III” in his opening statements. #GOPDebate https://t.co/ZngF0TLbBp https://t.co/wL2EvNp2hc

— Anderson Cooper 360° (@AC360) December 15, 2015

Asked about Donald Trump’s widely condemned proposal to ban Muslims from traveling to the United States, Santorum set himself apart from his undercard rivals by defending the GOP front-runner. “What Donald Trump was saying was nothing against Muslims,” Santorum claimed, faulting President Barack Obama for Trump’s position.

Santorum backs Trump’s Muslim ban: “What Donald Trump was saying was nothing against Muslims.” #GOPDebate

— Josh Rogin (@joshrogin) December 15, 2015

“The fact of the matter is that not all Muslims are jihadists,” Santorum said. “No one—including, I suspect, Donald Trump—would say that. But the reality is all jihadists are Muslims. That’s a reality, and we have to stop worrying about offending some people and start defending all Americans.”