Kerry: Trump's Statements Endanger U.S. National Security

John Kerry, the U.S. Secretary of State, stated on Sunday, December 13, that Donald Trump's remarks, one of the Republican candidates in the 2016 presidential election, regarding banning Muslims from entering the U.S. put the national security of the country at "risk." In an interview with ABC News, Kerry emphasized: "These statements reflect the views of an American who wants to run for the highest office in the country while advocating discrimination against a religion." The Secretary of State continued to criticize Trump's remarks, stating that such comments are contrary to the U.S. Constitution. Kerry noted: "I believe Mr. Trump made these comments without regard to the true spirit and values of Americans and certainly (without regard to) tolerance. Following the shooting in California that resulted in the deaths of 14 people by a Muslim couple, Trump proposed last week that Muslims be temporarily and completely banned from entering the U.S. Trump's proposal for banning Muslims from entering the U.S. has so far sparked widespread reactions in the U.S. and internationally. Hillary Clinton, one of the Democratic candidates for the U.S. presidential election, also criticized Trump's remarks, stating that such comments are incorrect and dangerous. Meanwhile, the latest nationwide poll shows that Donald Trump still enjoys greater popularity among Republican voters. According to a joint poll by NBC and The Wall Street Journal published on Sunday, December 13, Donald Trump leads the Republican candidates for the presidential election with 27 percent. Other Republican candidates, Ted Cruz with 22 percent and Marco Rubio with 15 percent, follow him. The preliminary competitions for the Republican candidates will begin on February 1 of next year in the U.S. states, with the first round of these preliminary elections taking place in Iowa. The U.S. presidential election will be held in November 2016.