Throughout the primary process, and now well into the 2016 General Election period, few have noticed that there have been a host of iterations of Republican Presidential Candidate Donald Trump’s plans to defeat ISIS. Unknown too many is that there have been a number of statements and subsequent revisions of Trump’s plans to confront the Islamic State. This post endeavors to delineate the evolution of Trump’s statements on how the candidate aims to defeat ISIS.

Trump appeared on the O’Reilly Factor following the announcement of his candidacy on June 16, 2015. The show’s host Bill O’Reilly queried the candidate on his plan to deal with ISIS. In response to O’Reilly’s question, Trump responded with this comment: “I would hit them so hard. I would find you a proper general. I would find a Patton or a MacArthur. I would hit them so hard your head would spin.”[1]

In a follow-up O’ Reilly questioned whether Trump’s anti-ISIS plan included the deployment of U.S. ground troops in Syria. In response Trump bluntly stated, “I’m not telling you anything. And the reason I’m not is because if I run and I win, I don’t want them [ISIS] to know the game plan.”[2]

After not receiving a response to his original query, O’Reilly tried again: “Are you telling me you are going to send American ground troops into Syria?” Trump gave an unusual response: “Take back the oil. Once you go over and take back that oil they have nothing.”[3] On the surface, this answer did not appear to make much sense. However, attacking the oil supply of the Islamic State is actually critical to impacting the terrorist groups ability to finance their operations and govern their caliphate. In the end, Trump still did not address O’Reilly’s question.

Rather than continue to focus on whether the candidate would deploy U.S. troops to Syria, O’Reilly inquired how Trump would “…take back the oil under the control of the Islamic State?” According to Trump, “Well you bomb the hell out of them and then you encircle it, and then you go in. And you let Mobil go in, and you let our great oil companies go in. Once you take that oil they have nothing left.”[4]

O’Reilly then inquired if Trump was prepared to violate the sovereignty of Syria. Trump did not answer the question directly. Instead, Trump volunteered this statement about his perception of the civil war in Syria: “…Interestingly Syria’s supposed to be our enemy. Iran and Russia are protecting Syria and its sort of amazing that we’re in there fighting ISIS in Syria so we’re helping the head of Syria who is not supposed to be our friend although he looks a lot better than some of our so-called friends. It’s really rather amazing, maybe Syria should be a free zone for ISIS, let them fight and then you pick up the remnants.”[5]

The O’Reilly Factor host did not relent. He followed up with this statement: “All right. In order to defeat ISIS you’re going to have to invade Syria. There’s no way you can defeat them without invading. And I guess you’re willing to do that.”[6] Trump responded to the statement this way: “I disagree. I say that you can defeat ISIS by taking their wealth.”[7] In short, it appeared that Trump was unprepared to violate Syria’s sovereignty in order to destroy the Islamic States’ headquarters in Raqqa which also serves as the capital of their caliphate.

In the fall Trump provided supplemental details in an effort to flesh out his anti-ISIS plan. During a September 27, 2015 “60 Minutes” interview Trump clarified his earlier statements on how he would deal with ISIS in Syria. The words that appear below are from an exchange between CBS correspondent Scott Pelley and Trump:

Scott Pelley: We’re at war with ISIS as we sit here. How do you end it?

Donald Trump: I would end ISIS forcefully. I think ISIS, what they did, was unbelievable what they did with James Foley and with the cutting off of heads of everybody, I mean these people are totally a disaster. Now, let me just say this, ISIS in Syria, Assad in Syria, Assad and ISIS are mortal enemies. We go in to fight ISIS. Why aren’t we letting ISIS go and fight Assad and then we pick up the remnants? Why are we doing this? We’re fighting ISIS and Assad has to be saying to himself, “They have the nicest or dumbest people that I’ve ever imagined.”

Scott Pelley: Let me get this right, so we lay off ISIS for now?

Donald Trump: Excuse me, let —

Scott Pelley: Lay off in Syria, let them destroy Assad. And then we go in behind that?

Donald Trump: –that’s what I would say. Yes, that’s what I would say.

Or, he had another idea, leave it to an old adversary.

Donald Trump: If you look at Syria. Russia wants to get rid of ISIS. We want to get rid of ISIS. Maybe let Russia do it. Let ‘em get rid of ISIS. What the hell do we care?

Scott Pelley: OK, that’s Syria. What do you–do in Iraq–

Donald Trump: With that–

Scott Pelley: –with ISIS?

Donald Trump: Look with ISIS in Iraq, you gotta knock ‘em out. You gotta knock ‘em out. You gotta fight ‘em. You gotta fight ‘em. You have to stand–

Scott Pelley: On the ground?

Donald Trump: –if you need, you’re going to have to do that, yes.

Scott Pelley: Troops on the ground.

Donald Trump: Yes.[8]

Trump refused to provide a detailed blueprint of his anti-ISIS plan during much of the primary. Instead, the candidate “hinted that he had a brilliant plan to defeat ISIS, but kept his plan mostly mum, dribbling it out in bits and pieces.”[9] In the fifth Republican debate on December 15, 2015, Trump unveiled another component of his plan. Following a question from CNN moderator Wolf Blitzer about how to defeat ISIS, Trump offered this incredulous response: he was prepared to eliminate ISIS’s ability to use the internet as an instrument to recruit in cyberspace.

Trump attempted to clarify his remarks. According to Trump: “ISIS is recruiting through the Internet. ISIS is using the Internet better than we are using the internet, and it was our idea. What I wanted to do is, I wanted to get our brilliant people from Silicon Valley and other places and figure out a way that ISIS cannot do what they’re doing. You talked freedom of speech. You talked freedom of anything you want. I don’t want them using our Internet to take our young, impressionable youth… We have to change it from every standpoint. We should be using our brilliant people, our most brilliant minds, to figure a way that ISIS cannot use the internet. And then…we should be able to penetrate the Internet and find out exactly where ISIS is and everything about ISIS. We can do that if we use our good people.”[10]

In the final analysis, Trump never indicated how this aspect of his plan would work. There are a number of important questions that naturally flowed from Trumps remarks. For example, would “these actions … be temporary or permanent”[11]?  Which part of the internet would the real estate mogul shut down?

During a CNN moderated GOP debate in Miami on March 11, 2016, many Republican hopefuls endeavored to clarify their positions on how they would deal with ISIS. Trump repeated that he was prepared to use ground troops to deal with ISIS. During the debate he provided specific details on the number troops that would be deployed to confront ISIS. According to Trump, “We really have no choice. We have to knock out ISIS. I would listen to the generals, but I’m hearing numbers of 20,000 to 30,000.”[12] Still, Trump did not indicate in what ways the troops would be deployed. For example, would they be deployed in Iraq for training purposes or for combat against ISIS forces in select areas of the country, like Ramadi or Mosul?

After being declared the presumptive nominee of his party on May 4, 2015, Trump missed a golden opportunity to redefine how he would defeat ISIS. In an illustration of the point, consider that during a pivotal national security address on June 13, 2016 at the Saint Andelm College New Hampshire Institute of Politics in Manchester, Trump used the speech to attack President Obama and Hillary Clinton’s role in assisting in the creation of ISIS. According to Trump, “The decision to overthrow the regime in Libya, then pushing for the overthrow of the regime in Syria, among other things, without plans for the day after, have created space for ISIS to expand and grow.”[13]

The speech illustrated the Obama-Clinton role in the evolution of ISIS, but lacked any examples on how the candidate would deal with the Islamic State. Rather, at the close of the address Trump offered this rudimentary statement: “We will protect our borders at home. We will defeat ISIS overseas.”[14] In the end, throughout the national security address Trump did not offer any major statement on how he would confront the threat posed by ISIS.

During a critical part of his acceptance speech at the at the Republican National Convention (RNC) on July 21, 2016, Trump offered additional details on his plan to defeat ISIS. According to Trump, “To make life safe in America, we must also address the growing threats from outside the country. We are going to defeat the barbarians of ISIS.[15] In effort to prevent future attacks on the homeland, Trump stated “… we need to focus on three things.” First, said Trump, “We must have …the best, gathering of intelligence anywhere in the world.”[16] Second, said Trump, “we must abandon the failed policy of nation-building and regime change that Hillary Clinton pushed in Iraq, Libya, in Egypt, and Syria.”[17]

In its place, the candidate argued “we must work with all of our allies who share our goal of destroying ISIS and stamping out Islamic terrorism and doing it now, doing it quickly. We’re going to win. This includes working with our greatest ally in the region, the state of Israel.”[18] In the aftermath of the address, Republicans were thrilled by Trump’s statements on ISIS.

In what was billed as a major foreign policy address, on August 15, 2016 in Youngstown, Ohio, Trump delivered a coherent and comprehensive anti-ISIS speech. The New York Times, characterized Trump’s plan as a “mixture of Cold War concepts” and “limits on immigrants.”[19]

From the perspective of Team Trump, the speech represented an attempt to articulate a detailed plan to defeat the Islamic State. In particular, Trump’s plan consisted of efforts to clarify earlier statements. In an illustration of the point, during the primary Trump talked about “shutting down the internet” to “disrupt ISIS recruiting efforts.”

In the address in Ohio, Trump’s comments called for the specific targeting of the Islamic States’ use of the internet. According to Trump, “cyberwarfare [must be used] to disrupt and disable their propaganda and recruiting. We cannot allow the internet to be used as a recruiting tool, and for other purposes, by our enemy, we must shut down their access to this form of communication, and we must do so immediately.”[20]

In a subsequent illustration, the speech provided yet another statement on what President Trump would do to protect the homeland against radical Islamists. Before a discussion of Trump’s most recent statement on Muslim immigration to the United States, it is important to review an earlier account of the candidates’ position. In a statement on December 8, 2015, Trump previously called for “a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States.”[21]

In an effort to reduce the criticism of his earlier controversial plan to deal with Muslim immigration to the country, during the August 15, 2016 address Trump argued that his administration would “… establish a clear principle that will govern all decisions pertaining to immigration: we should only admit into this country those who share our values and respect our people.”[22] Second, Trump stated, “the time is overdue to develop a new screening test for the threats we face today.”[23] Trump’s new plan called for “extreme vetting.”[24] Third, Trump argued “To put these new procedures in place, we will have to temporarily suspend immigration from some of the most dangerous and volatile regions of the world that have a history of exporting terrorism.”[25]

In an anticipation of blowback from the plan’s extreme vetting of Muslim immigrants, Trump added this statement to mute some of the criticism: “That is why one of my first acts as President will be to establish a Commission on Radical Islam–which will include reformist voices in the Muslim community who will hopefully work with us. We want to build bridges and erase divisions.”[26]

Other portions of address were very much consistent with that of President Obama’s often- criticized ISIS strategy. In an instructive example, in several areas of the address Trump spoke of the need for additional cooperation. That said, there is already considerable involvement of NATO in the struggle against ISIS. Trump however sought more cooperation. In the words of the candidate: “We will also work closely with NATO on this new mission.”[27] Elsewhere in the address, Trump called for US-Russian cooperation to defeat ISIS in Syria. Once again this too is a component of President Obama’s plan. Still Trump offered the following statement in the address: “I also believe that we could find common ground with Russia in the fight against ISIS. They too have much at stake in the outcome in Syria, and have had their own battles with Islamic terrorism.”[28]

In a major shift from previous statements, in the address Trump provided comments on how he would confront other violent extremist groups. Specifically, Trump stated, “The fight will not be limited to ISIS. We will decimate Al Qaeda, and we will seek to starve funding for Iran-backed Hamas and Hezbollah. We can use existing UN Security Council resolutions to apply new sanctions. Military, cyber and financial warfare will all be essential in dismantling Islamic terrorism.”[29]

Trump’s Youngstown, Ohio address represents a considerable improvement over previous attempts to articulate the candidates anti-ISIS plan to the American people. Though this iteration represents an improvement, in the speech Trump did not mention the use of ground troops or any military component (other than use of drones) that would be used to confront ISIS. The presidential candidates’ reasoning for not volunteering military details was consistent with earlier comments. According to Trump, “my Administration will not telegraph exact military plans to the enemy.”[30] In the final analysis, a question begs: would Trump’s plan defeat ISIS? 

Endnotes

[1] Donald Trump Running for President. FoxNews.com June 17, 2015. http://www.foxnews.com/ transcript/2015/06/17/donald-trump-running-for-president/.

[2] Ibid.

[3] Ibid.

[4] Ibid.

[5] Ibid.

[6] Ibid.

[7] Ibid.

[8] [No Author] “Trump Gets Down to Business on 60 Minutes,” 60 Minutes, September 27, 2015.http://www.cbsnews.com/news/donald-trump-60-minutes-scott-pelley/.

[9] Tina Nguyen, “Donald Trump’s Brilliant Plan to Defeat ISIS: Break the Internet,” Vanity Fair, December 15, 2015. http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2015/12/donald-trump-internet-isis-debate.

[10] Phillip Elliot, “Republicans Turn on Each Other in Bitter Las Vegas Debate,” Time, December 15, 2015. http://time.com/4149585/republican-debate-donald-trump-ted-cruz-jeb-bush-cnn/.

[11] Alistair Charlton, “Donald Trump: ‘We Must Close Areas of Internet Because ‘ISIS are Better at it Than We Are,’” Ibtimes, December 16, 2015. http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/donald-trump-we-must-close-areas-internet-because-isis-are-better-it-we-are-1533561.

[12] Nicole Gaouette and Barbara Starr, “Trump is calling for 30,000 troops. Would That Defeat ISIS?” CNN, March 11, 2016. http://www.cnn.com/2016/03/11/politics/donald-trump-30000-troops-isis/.

[13] “Transcript: Donald Trump’s National Security Speech,” Politico, June 13, 2016. http://www.politico.com/story/2016/06/transcript-donald-trump-national-security-speech-224273.

[14] Ibid.

[15] Full Transcript of Donald Trump’s Acceptance Speech at the RNC. Vox.com. July 21, 2016. http://www.vox.com/2016/7/21/12253426/donald-trump-acceptance-speech-transcript-republican-nomination-transcript.

[16] Ibid.

[17] Ibid.

[18] Ibid.

[19] Yamichie Alcindor and Maggie Haggerman, “Donald Trump’s Terrorism Plan Mixes Cold War Concepts and Limits on Immigrants,” New York Times, August 15, 2016. http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/16/us/politics/donald-trump-terrorism.html.

[20] “Full Text: Donald Trump’s Speech on Fighting Terrorism,” Politico, August 15, 2016. http://www.politico.com/story/2016/08/donald-trump-terrorism-speech-227025.

[21] Jeremy Diamond, “Donald Trump: Ban all Muslim Travel to U.S.,” CNN, December 8, 2015. http://edition.cnn.com/2015/12/07/politics/donald-trump-muslim-ban-immigration/.

[22] “Text: Donald Trump’s Speech on Fighting Terrorism.”

[23] Ibid.

[24] Ibid.

[25] Ibid.

[26] Ibid.

[27] Ibid.

[28] Ibid.

[29] Ibid.

[30] Ibid.