Less than a day ago, thirty-four people were killed and hundreds were injured in a terrorist attack which took place at the Brussels airport and Metro subway station. Not long after the devastating news made headlines, the terrorist organization ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack.
According to authorities, the bomb attacks came days after the main surviving suspect in the assaults in and around Paris last year (which killed 130 people) was taken into custody. The Prime Minister of Belgium, Charles Michel, stated:
“We were fearing terrorist attacks, and that has now happened.”
While it is a time for mourning, it also a time for action. And, with the United States presidential debates heating up, each of the candidates shared their thoughts on the tragedy, as well as how to defeat the terrorist organization. Their varied solutions follow:
Donald Trump
Shortly after news of the Brussels tragedy made headlines, the Republican frontrunner called into the morning talk show Today. He used the occasion to beat his usual horses, arguing mostly for stricter borders. Said Trump:
“I’d be not allowing certain people into this country without absolute perfect documentation. We’re allowing thousands of people already, Matt, to come into our country.”
Remember, this is the nominee who has proposed a ban on all Muslims from entering the U.S.
When asked what he would do to get information from Salah Abdeslam, the suspected Paris terrorist attacker who was captured in Belgium last week, he said:
“Waterboarding—if it was up to me, and if we change the laws, or have the laws, waterboarding would be fine. If they could expand the laws, I would do a lot more than waterboarding. You have to get the information from these people.”
As Gawker points out, the classic narcissist also managed to point out how he is “number one in the polls.”
Hillary Clinton:
The former Secretary of State spoke with Good Morning America over the phone, telling the hosts: “We’ve got to strengthen our resolve.”
She also chastised Trump’s proposition that waterboarding is a solution
“Our best and bravest intel and military leaders will tell you that torture is not effective. It puts soldiers, and increasingly, our own civilians in danger. I do believe we have to give our law enforcement and intelligence professionals all the tools they need to do the job, to keep Americans safe, but I don’t think they need to resort to torture. That’s like an open recruitment poster for more terrorists, and it’s wrong, and it doesn’t work,” the Democratic presidential contender said.
WATCH: @HillaryClinton responds to attacks in Brussels and reacts to @realDonaldTrump's stance on torture. https://t.co/2LDyBVC1qu
— Good Morning America (@GMA) March 22, 2016
In an interview with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, Clinton also called for an increase in surveillance and police.
“We have to toughen our surveillance, our interception of communication,” she said.
Bernie Sanders
Sanders took a different approach from both Clinton and Trump. In a statement, he said that the international community must come together to defeat ISIS.
The statement follows:
“We offer our deepest condolences to the families who lost loved ones in this barbaric attack and to the people of Brussels who were the target of another cowardly attempt to terrorize innocent civilians. We stand with our European allies to offer any necessary assistance in these difficult times.
Today’s attack is a brutal reminder that the international community must come together to destroy ISIS. This type of barbarism cannot be allowed to continue.”
Ted Cruz
The Republican candidate nominee took to Facebook to share his sentiments. In an obvious way, he called out Obama while addressing the terrorist attacks.
“Radical Islam is at war with us. For over seven years we have had a president who refuses to acknowledge this reality,” he wrote.
Later, he also added that police patrols are needed in American Muslim neighborhoods. According to him, law enforcement needs to be empowered to secure Muslim neighborhoods “before they become radicalized.”
John Kasich
The Ohio governor addressed the attacks on Twitter. He said in a statement:
“We must also redouble our efforts with our allies to identify, root out and destroy the perpetrators of such acts of evil.”
Gov. John Kasich's statement on the terrorist attacks in #Brussels. pic.twitter.com/6gwCCMwJcy
— John Kasich (@JohnKasich) March 22, 2016
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