Donald Trump Insists Muslim Ban Is About Safety, Not Religion

In an interview on ABC’s "Live with Kelly and Michael," Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump today defended his proposal to temporarily ban Muslims from entering the United States, insisting religious discrimination is not his intention.

"This has nothing to do with religion; it’s about safety,” Trump told Kelly Ripa and Michael Strahan.

Trump’s plan would block Muslims from entering the United States, with an exception for U.S. citizens who are Muslim, who would come and go as they wish. He has said he hopes the ban “will go quickly,” as soon as “our leaders figure out what the hell is going on."

“If a person is a Muslim, goes overseas and comes back, they can come back. They're a citizen. That's different,” Trump told "Good Morning America" Tuesday. “But we have to figure things out.”