Says U.S. must “start profiling” after September bombings

After bomb attacks in New York and New Jersey and a stabbing in Minnesota, Trump used a September 19, 2016 interview to argue that the United States would have to “start profiling” in order to stop terrorism. NPR’s recap of the candidates’ reactions and CBS New York’s report quote him saying “we’re going to have to start profiling” and calling such tactics “common sense” despite their history of targeting Muslims and people of color. Other coverage notes that he framed profiling as a necessary response to “radical Islamic terrorism,” suggesting that civil-rights protections are a luxury the country can no longer afford. By seizing on fear after an attack to push blanket profiling rather than focused investigation, he treated entire communities as suspects and normalized discriminatory policing as the price of safety.

"We’re going to have to start profiling, and it’s not the worst thing to do." — September 19, 2016 television interview and follow-up coverage, in which Trump responded to bombings in New York and New Jersey by saying the United States would “have to start profiling” to stop terrorism and defending the idea as common sense.