Trump claims credit for Clinton’s use of ‘radical Islamism’

Donald Trump on Monday took credit for Hillary Clinton’s use of the term “radical Islamism” to describe the terror threat from groups like the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq (ISIS).

I have been hitting Obama and Crooked Hillary hard on not using the term Radical Islamic Terror. Hillary just broke-said she would now use!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 13, 2016

Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee for president, and many in the GOP have repeatedly criticized President Obama and the Democrats for failing to describe the threat of terror as stemming from “radical Islam.” 

{mosads}Obama and many Democrats prefer terms like “radical jihadism,” believing that using the word “Islam” risks demonizing an entire religion. 

Trump on Sunday called on Obama to resign for his failure to use the term “radical Islam.” He said that if Clinton, the presumptive Democratic nominee, won’t use the term then she should drop out of the presidential race. 

Clinton responded on NBC’s “Today” show Monday morning, saying she’s “not going to demonize and demagogue and declare war on an entire religion.” 

However, Clinton said that the U.S. is facing terrorists “that use Islam to justify slaughtering innocent people.”  

“To me, radical jihadism, radical Islamism, I think they mean the same thing,” Clinton said. “I’m happy to say either, but that’s not the point. All this talk and demagoguery and rhetoric is not going to solve the problem.” 

The “radical Islamism” term Clinton used is subtly different than the “radical Islam” term used by Trump and many Republicans. 

“Islamism” is the term many academics use to describe “political Islam,” or Islam as an ideology, rather than Islam as a religion.