--- title: Commander-in-Chief Forum: Why ISIS Supports Donald Trump description: Interviews with ISIS members and analysis of social media make it clear: ISIS is rooting for Donald Trump. canonical: https://time.com/4480945/isis-donald-trump/ author: Matt Olsen article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-09-07T14:30:32.000Z article:modified_time: 2023-12-13T02:56:34.000Z article:section: Ideas og:title: Why ISIS Supports Donald Trump og:description: 'Hillary Clinton is the clear choice for national security' og:url: https://time.com/4480945/isis-donald-trump/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Why ISIS Supports Donald Trump twitter:description: 'Hillary Clinton is the clear choice for national security' twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- # Why ISIS Supports Donald Trump > Sponsored content. 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Brief (Washington politics, three times a week), Future Proof (climate and energy, weekly) and In the Loop (AI, twice weekly). All are free at time.com/newsletters and together reach more than 1.1 million engaged readers. #### Which TIME newsletter should I subscribe to? It depends on what you follow. For a daily briefing, The Brief. For health, Health Matters. For Washington politics, D.C. Brief. For AI and technology, In the Loop. For climate and energy as a business story, Future Proof. For culture recommendations, Worth Your Time. For how TIME's journalism gets made, Inside TIME. Readers can select any combination at time.com/newsletters. #### Are TIME's newsletters free? Yes. All seven TIME newsletters are free to join at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes TIME's newsletters? TIME journalists write them. Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ## Video: Trump: "With the terrorists, you have to take out their families" [Watch (HLS stream): Trump: "With the terrorists, you have to take out their families"](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/UzGr8vY0.m3u8) (0:24)  _Published 2015-12-02. Trump: "With the terrorists, you have to take out their families"_ by [Matt Olsen](https://time.com/author/matt-olsen/) ## Matt Olsen Updated: Dec 13, 2023 2:56 AM UTCPublished: Sep 7, 2016 2:30 PM UTC by [Matt Olsen](https://time.com/author/matt-olsen/) ## Matt Olsen Updated: Dec 13, 2023 2:56 AM UTCPublished: Sep 7, 2016 2:30 PM UTC Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump took the same stage for the first time on Wednesday to address crucial questions about national security and combatting terrorism in a “[Commander-in-Chief Forum](http://www.nbcnews.com/video/the-commander-in-chief-forum-751866435567)” on NBC. Voters tuned in to evaluate which candidate has the temperament, experience and vision to be America’s next Commander-in-Chief. But they weren’t the only ones who were watching. In recent months, ISIS has made clear that it’s closely following this election, too—and it has chosen a candidate. Interviews with ISIS members and analysis of social media, including in a recent _Foreign Affairs_ article by Mara Revkin and Ahmad Mhidi, make it clear: “[ISIS is rooting for Trump](https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/2016-08-24/why-isis-rooting-trump-0).” This year, ISIS isn’t simply a passive observer of American politics. Since the group’s rapid rise in 2014, ISIS has established a far-reaching, sophisticated propaganda machine. Its members rely on social media to shape public opinion, recruit new members and mobilize followers to carry out attacks. Now, some of them are using those channels to advocate for Trump. In August, one ISIS spokesman [wrote](http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/isis-extremists-rooting-trump-win-presidential-election-article-1.2767171): “I ask Allah to deliver America to Trump.” Another supporter [declared](http://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-isis-candidate-analysts-2016-9): “The ‘facilitation’ of Trump’s arrival in the White House must be a priority for jihadists at any cost!!!” ISIS is working to drum up support for the candidate it has called “[the perfect enemy](http://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/trump-extremist-web-forums).” That may come as a surprise to some. After all, Trump has spent this election season making a series of combative and bellicose comments on terrorism—from his pledge to [kill the families of terrorists](http://www.cnn.com/2015/12/02/politics/donald-trump-terrorists-families/), his plans bring back [torture of suspected terrorists](http://time.com/4247397/donald-trump-waterboarding-torture/) and his call to [ban all Muslims](http://fortune.com/2016/06/28/donald-trump-muslim-ban/) from entering the United States. But the truth is, Trump’s statements and extreme policies aren’t just contrary to our values—they play right into the hands of ISIS. Trump’s anti-Muslim proposals are likely to inspire and radicalize more violent jihadists in the U.S. and Europe. Specifically, his calls for a ban on Muslims visiting our country and for blanket [spying on mosques](http://www.cnn.com/2016/06/15/politics/donald-trump-muslims-mosque-surveillance/) reinforce ISIS’s view that the U.S. is hostile to all Muslims. As a former ISIS fighter [told](https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/2016-08-24/why-isis-rooting-trump-0) Revkin and Mhidi_:_ “When Trump says hateful things about Muslims, it proves that jihadists are right to fight against the West, because the West is against Islam.” As a result, his ideas fuel the group’s efforts to radicalize and mobilize its followers to take action. In fact, Trump himself has been featured in ISIS [propaganda videos](http://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-isis-propaganda-brussels-2016-3?r=UK&IR=T) following the Brussels attack and the Orlando massacre. Trump’s statements also serve to isolate and alienate the same Muslim Americans who must be our partners in this fight. They’re often on the front lines against ISIS in its effort to radicalize those who are disaffected or otherwise susceptible to its hateful message. And they are in the best position to recognize the signs of radicalization and to intervene before it’s too late. Marginalizing these Americans sows distrust of the government and law enforcement, and makes it more difficult to identify and disrupt attacks. Terrorist groups around the world are eager to capitalize on this opportunity: the al-Qaeda group in East Africa released a [video](http://www.latimes.com/world/africa/la-fg-trump-al-qaeda-video-20160102-story.html) quoting Trump to convince American Muslims to join the group because they are not welcome in their own country. Further, Trump’s comments undermine our counterterrorism efforts around the world. By demonizing Muslims, he feeds ISIS’s narrative that the U.S. is at war with Islam. As one ISIS defector [interviewed](https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/2016-08-24/why-isis-rooting-trump-0) by Revkin and Mhidi said: “We were happy when Trump said bad things about Muslims because he makes it very clear that there are two teams in this battle: the Islamic team and the anti-Islamic team.” He also risks alienating our allies in the Middle East and North Africa. These nations are our essential partners in the fight against terrorism, and we depend on the cooperation of their military, intelligence and law enforcement services. Trump does not seem to grasp the importance of working with our allies to combat terrorism. This is not a threat we can defeat alone—and his comments disparaging our allies, and threats to walk away from them, undermine our efforts to build and foster these critical partnerships. The bottom line is this: Trump’s erratic and belligerent slogans are no substitute for policies based on facts and sound judgment. That’s why, in my view, Hillary Clinton is the clear choice for national security. In contrast to Trump, Clinton has drawn on her years of experience to set out a pragmatic and detailed strategy to defeat ISIS. She has identified specific steps the United States should take both overseas and at home. Clinton rejects politics of fear and divisiveness and calls on Americans to stand resolutely together and to build alliances abroad in this struggle. Fundamentally, she recognizes that American values of freedom, tolerance and the rule of law are strengths—not vulnerabilities—in the fight against terrorism. As Americans consider who should be our next Commander-in-Chief, they’ll face perhaps the starkest contrast in generations—between a candidate whose uninformed and reckless statements on ISIS have already helped our adversaries, and a candidate whose approach reflects her deep experience, determined leadership and unbending belief in the power of American values. The results will have a sweeping impact on our security—and the world will be watching. ## Transcript I would knock the hell out of ISIS. I would hit them, I would hit them, Brian, so hard. You have to take out their families. When you get these terrorists, you have to take out their families. They, they care about their lives, don't kid yourself. I say ISIS is our number one threat. We have a president that doesn't know what he is doing. And all he's worried about is climate change. 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