Donald Trump doubled down on his claim that Barack Obama was the founder of ISIS, arguing on Thursday, “I meant he’s the founder of ISIS… he was the most valuable player.”
Appearing on the Hugh Hewitt Show, Hewitt said, “Last night, you said the president was the founder of ISIS. I know what you meant. You meant that he created the vacuum, he lost the peace.”
“No, I meant he’s the founder of ISIS,” Trump replied. “I do. He was the most valuable player. I give him the most valuable player award. I give her, too, by the way, Hillary Clinton.”
“But he’s not sympathetic to them. He hates them. He’s trying to kill them,” Hewitt replied.
“I don’t care. He was the founder. His, the way he got out of Iraq was that that was the founding of ISIS, okay,” Trump said.
Hewitt followed up, “But by using the term founder, they’re hitting with you on this again. Mistake?”
“No, it’s no mistake. Everyone’s liking it. I think they’re liking it. I give him the most valuable player award. And I give it to him, and I give it to, I gave the co-founder to Hillary. I don’t know if you heard that,” Trump replied.
“I did. I did. I played it,” Hewitt said.
To which Trump replied, “I gave her the co-founder.”
Trump went on to ask Hewitt, “[L]et me ask you, do you not like that?”
“I don’t. I think I would say they created, they lost the peace. They created the Libyan vacuum, they created the vacuum into which ISIS came, but they didn’t create ISIS,” Hewitt said. “That’s what I would say.”
“Well, I disagree,” Trump replied. Adding, “I mean, with his bad policies, that’s why ISIS came about…If he would have done things properly, you wouldn’t have had ISIS.”
“That’s true,” Hewitt said.
“Therefore, he was the founder of ISIS,” Trump said.
“And that’s, I’d just use different language to communicate it, but let me close with this, because I know I’m keeping you long, and Hope’s going to kill me,” Hewitt said.
Then Trump said this: “But they wouldn’t talk about your language, and they do talk about my language, right?”
“Well, good point,” Hewitt replied.
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