Presidential hopefuls from both parties characterized the attacks in France as a declaration of war. Donald Trump spoke to Bill O’Reilly shortly after the attack last night.
Bill O’Reilly: “I believe it’s a world war now. We’re in a world war scenario. It’s no longer just isolated ISIS attacks. Do you agree with that?”
Donald Trump: “I certainly do, and I’ve been saying it for a long time. And it’s out of control. And we don’t call it what—and we have a president that doesn’t want to call it what it is. And, you know, you look at World Trade Center, you look at San Bernardino, you look at Paris, 130 people killed and so many injured in Paris from that attack, and you look at Orlando. It’s out of control. And, Bill, unless we get strong and, you know, really strong and very, very smart leadership, it’s only going to get worse.”
Hillary Clinton had similar words for CNN’s Anderson Cooper.
Hillary Clinton: “It’s clear we are at war with these terrorist groups and what they represent. It’s a different kind of war, and we need to be smart about how we wage it and win it.”
This comes as former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who is reportedly one of the people on Donald Trump’s short list for vice-presidential running mate, also spoke out after Nice attacks. He spoke to Fox News’ Sean Hannity, saying, “We should frankly test every person here who is of a Muslim background, and if they believe in Sharia, they should be deported.” Donald Trump was expected to name his vice-presidential pick today, but he said he is delaying in light of the Nice attacks.