Both leading GOP presidential candidates were quick to slam President Obama and his policies on Tuesday after the latest ISIS terror attacks taking place in Brussels that left at least 31 people dead. “The first job of the president is to be commander in chief,” Cruz told Fox News following the morning attacks. “It’s unconscionable. It needs to change….If I am president, I will destroy ISIS.” Cruz’s comments follow leading GOP candidate Donald Trump, who is now calling for an outright end to the visa program, which allows roughly 20 million people a year to visit the United States. Cruz also said the visa waiver program needs “serious scrutiny.” Trump also called for an “immediate halt” to Obama’s recent plan to allow tens of thousands of Syrian refugees into the United States, as a result of that country’s years-long civil war. Cruz said “Our vetting programs are woefully insufficient,” and argued that ISIS has already stated its intentions to try and infiltrate terrorists among the refugees so they can “commit acts of jihad.” Trump also renewed his commentary about banning all Muslims from entering the country.
Hilary Clinton said in the wake of the attacks, “Americans stand in solidarity with our European allies. Today’s attacks will only strengthen our resolve to stand together as allies and defeat terrorism and radical jihadism around the world.” The other democratic hopeful Bernie Sanders said, “We need to have significantly improved intelligence, and not just related to the United States. We have to share intelligence with the rest of the world.” GOP candidate John Kasich said he was “sickened” by the images of the bombings and that the U.S must “redouble our efforts with our allies to identify, root out and destroy the perpetrators of such acts of evil.”
