US election: Donald Trump to call for ‘testing’ immigrants

Donald Trump: "I am a victim of a political smear campaign"

Donald Trump

US Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump is outlining his plan to fight “radical Islamic terrorism” in a major policy speech.

The plan includes suspending visas from countries with ties to terrorism and an ideological test for those applying to enter the US.

Mr Trump will also pledge to work with nations willing to help the US defeat the so-called Islamic State (IS).

He began his speech in Ohio at 14:30 local time (18:30 GMT).

Mr Trump’s plan, which is described as “foreign policy realism” by his campaign, is the latest iteration of his previous call to ban all Muslims from entering the country.

The billionaire has revised his plan throughout his campaign, after initially proposing a blanket ban on all Muslims in December 2015.

After a shooting at a nightclub in Orlando, Florida, Mr Trump said he would temporarily ban immigration from countries with a previous history of terrorism against the US and other western countries.

The latest proposal will also include creating an ideological test for immigrants entering the country, with questions addressing how each applicant views American values such as religious freedom, gender equality and gay rights.

Mr Trump will also welcome alliances from any country that shares the mission to destroy “radical Islamic terrorism,” regardless of other ideological beliefs, according to his campaign advisers.

In a conference call to preview the announcement, Mr Trump’s campaign staff said that he will use specific terms, like during the Cold War, to illustrate how the US is at war with “radical Islam.”

Mr Trump is still facing a backlash for repeatedly describing President Barack Obama and his Democratic rival for the White House, Hillary Clinton, as “founders” of Islamic State.

When pressed by Fox News whether he meant that in the literal sense, he said he did. Then he backtracked and announced it had been sarcasm. Then he again changed his stance on Friday morning and said he had not been “that sarcastic”.

The Republican candidate has been critical of the media’s coverage of his campaign, saying the press does not provide enough coverage of his policy proposals.

Last week, Mr Trump outlined his economic agenda in a speech.

However, the economic plan was quickly overshadowed by real estate mogul’s claim that President Barack Obama had “founded” IS.

Recent polls show him significantly trailing Hillary Clinton in key battleground states.

Source: BBC

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