Just Fred wrote:

It appears Trump and several others could be as labeled 'useful tools'.  Thanks, Donald.  He may be seen as a bit of a showman and snake oil salesman here in America, but that perception may be viewed differently in other parts of the world since he is becoming the face of the Republican Party and possible next president of the USA.

Good observation.
I have started doing something.
When I state that trump appeals to certain darker emotions within the republican electorate, republican friends angrily state that Trump does not represent the views of most republicans, and that I am unfairly generalizing.
I now respond, "prove it".
Over the next 6 months we'll see.

The Man wrote:

I can see Trump spinning this into a positive for him. The Islamic extremists obviously fear Trump, and that will resonate with Americans and Trump's numbers will likely improve.

Perhaps so.
Sadly, Trump turns this into a personal plus for him while making the task of our armed services and law enforcement agencies more difficult.

The Man wrote:

Goose wrote:

The Man wrote:

I can see Trump spinning this into a positive for him. The Islamic extremists obviously fear Trump, and that will resonate with Americans and Trump's numbers will likely improve.

Perhaps so.
Sadly, Trump turns this into a personal plus for him while making the task of our armed services and law enforcement agencies more difficult.

 
In all fairness, I would say that's entirely false. Trump isn't the one running around murdering people, the Islamic extremists are.

That wasn't my argument.

ISIS, and other extremist groups want to recruit members from the larger muslim community. Soldiers, funders, sympathizers,,, any type of support. To do this they want to sell a narrative that this is a struggle between the Christian world, and Islam. They tell muslims that they will never get a fair shake from the West. That they are hated and persecuted by the West.
Donald Trump, with his reckless remarks lends some credence to that narrative.
This makes their recruiting easier and our job harder.
 

The Man wrote:

Goose wrote:

The Man wrote:

 
In all fairness, I would say that's entirely false. Trump isn't the one running around murdering people, the Islamic extremists are.

That wasn't my argument.

ISIS, and other extremist groups want to recruit members from the larger muslim community. Soldiers, funders, sympathizers,,, any type of support. To do this they want to sell a narrative that this is a struggle between the Christian world, and Islam. They tell muslims that they will never get a fair shake from the West. That they are hated and persecuted by the West.
Donald Trump, with his reckless remarks lends some credence to that narrative.
This makes their recruiting easier and our job harder.
 

 
They do that no matter who is in charge though. You can't blame that on Trump. If anything, it plays right into his favor of him calling for Muslims to be barred from traveling to the U.S., as they appear to be so unstable that simple words may likely drive them into a murderous rage.

Yes, I am well aware that they are recruiting and have been recruiting for some time. And that they try to sell a that narrative. I believe that I stated exactly that above.  Furthermore, I never suggested that terrorsits wouldn't recruit if it weren't for Trump. I never suggested anything remotely like that.

My point is that Trump makes selling that narrative easier. The extremists hate us and always will. The battle is for the hearts and minds of the overwhelming majority of muslims who are not "unstable".