Donald Trump has attacked President Obama's Oval Office address Sunday night for being too short, lacking a proper plan to combat ISIS, and for his refusal to use the term 'radical Islamic terrorists'
Donald Trump has criticized Barack Obama's Oval Office address Sunday night for being too short and failing to used the phrase 'Islamic terrorists'.
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In a live-tweet session during Obama's speech, only his third address from the Oval Office, Trump also warned him against 'spending too much time ripping apart the second amendment'.
However, Obama kept the issue of tighter gun control on the agenda, calling for congress to step in as 'a matter of national security', while reiterating his stance that America is fighting a war against 'thugs', not against Islam itself.
Both Hillary Clinton and Obama have been attacked by Republicans for refusing to refer to ISIS as Muslims, saying that failing to properly identify the threat will hamper efforts to stop it
Obama's speech was designed to reassure concerned Americans in the wake of the San Bernardino attacks on Wednesday this week which saw 14 people killed and another 21 wounded.
The attacks have since been described as 'an act of terror' by both the FBI and Obama, as it was revealed attackers Syed Farook and wife Tashfeen Malik had been radicalized.
Obama and Hillary Clinton have both been widely criticized by Republicans, particularly the presidential hopefuls, for refusing to use the phrase 'radical Islamic terrorists' while referring to ISIS.
It was a phrase that Obama again steered clear of this evening, instead referring to the group as 'ISIL' - the preferred abbreviation used by the security services.
Trump criticized this approach on Twitter, saying: 'Well, Obama refused to say (he just can't say it), that we are at WAR with RADICAL ISLAMIC TERRORISTS.'
He subsequently reposted another tweet by a supporter, adding: '[Obama] will never say it, therefore he will never have a solution!'
Trump also attacked the President for using ISIL instead of ISIS to refer to the terror group, saying 'almost everyone else' uses the latter abbreviation.
ISIS stands for Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, while ISIL stands for Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant - an historic term used in the Koran to describe the eastern coast of the Mediterranean.
In his speech Obama said officials will tighten security around visas, which Can Bernardino shooter Tashfeen Malik used to get into America, and called for tighter gun regulation
During the section on visas, Trump retweeted a comment from a supporter asking for a tougher crackdown on immigration, then lambasted the speech for being too short
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Obama spoke at length about his plans to limit Americans' access to high-powered weapons such as assault rifles and about banning people on the no-fly list from buying guns.
WHAT'S IN A NAME? THE TERMS USED TO DESCRIBE ISIS
Donald Trump has criticized Obama this evening for using the abbreviation ISIL, instead of ISIS, to refer to the terror group.
ISIS stands for Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, and is an approximate English translation of their full Arabic name al-Dowla al-Islaamiyya fii-il-Iraq wa-ash-Shaam.
ISIL is another abbreviated title derived from a slightly different translation, standing for Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, and is the preferred term used by the security services.
The Levant is an historic term used widely in the Koran to refer to the eastern shore of the Mediterranean.
While the area is not clearly defined, it would cover most of modern-day Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and Israel.
The group has officially named itself Islamic State, or IS, though most Western leaders refuse to use this name, arguing that it lends them an authority they do not deserve.
In parts of the Middle East that are opposed to ISIS, and increasingly in Europe following the Paris attacks, the group is referred to a Daesh.
This name is derived from a straight abbreviation of the group's Arabic name.
However, it is also similar to the Arabic word daes, meaning 'to trample', and as a result is despised by the leaders of ISIS.
He said: 'Congress should act to make sure no one on a no-fly list is able to buy a gun.
'What could possibly be the argument for allowing a terrorist suspect to buy a semiautomatic weapon? This is a matter of national security.
'We also need to make it harder for people to buy powerful assault weapons, like the ones that were used in San Bernardino.
'I know there are some who reject any gun-safety measures, but the fact is that our intelligence and law-enforcement agencies, no matter how effective they are, cannot identify every would-be mass shooter, whether that individual was motivated by ISIL or some other hateful ideology.
Trump seemed primed to join other Republicans' attacks on Obama over his call for tougher gun laws, but the criticisms did not materialize
Rand Paul, who voted against an amendment that would have stopped those on the no-fly list buying weapons, lead the attacks over gun control - calling the debate 'ineffective'
Obama also spoke about security officials 'looking at' the visa application process for entry into America after it was revealed that Malik came to the U.S. on a visa for fiancee of citizens.
During this section of his speech, Trump retweeted a comment from a supporter saying: 'He needs to stop all Visas not look at them!'
While Trump did not express the view himself, retweets are often intended to indicate a person endorses a particular statement, and he is known for taking a hardline approach to immigration.
Obama firmly dismissed a change in strategy in the war against the extremists that would require combat troops on the ground in Iraq and Syria on Sunday.
He also called for unity in the face of the attacks, and appealed against Americans 'turning against one another', saying 'that is exactly what groups like ISIL want'.
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Carly Fiorina, who has scored big off painting herself as a candidate outside politics before, called out Obama for being short on substance, branding it 'politics as usual'
Meanwhile Bernie Sanders was the only Democratic candidate to respond to Obama's address, earnestly supporting his hands-off strategy for the Middle East
Dailymail UK
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