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LAS VEGAS (AP) — Donald Trump tonight defended his proposal to at least temporarily ban Muslims from coming into the United States, saying the top priority has to be a cautionary U.S. government stance in order to protect the people.
In the Las Vegas faceoff, the billionaire real estate mogul also says he wants to keep members of the Islamic State from using the Internet to recruit American fighters.
He says the government must work with "brilliant people" in Silicon Valley to keep IS fighters offline, even if it means shutting down parts of the Internet.
Trump is also calling out members of the media to stop calling IS fighters "masterminds" because, in reality, he says they are thugs and terrible people.
He says, "we should be able to penetrate the Internet and find out exactly where ISIS is."
Meanwhile, retired neurologist Ben Carson ducked a question about whether Congress was right to end the National Security Agency's bulk phone-records collection program.
Carson declined to answer when asked whether rival candidate Sen. Ted Cruz was right to vote to end the program or whether Sen. Marco Rubio was correct in supporting its continuation.
Carson says: "I don't want to get in between them. Let them fight."
Carson also says he is in favor of monitoring any place where people who may be engaging in radical activities are gathered, including mosques, schools, supermarkets and theaters.
Carson says we are at war and "We have to get rid of all this PC stuff." He says America's enemies will "take advantage of our PC attitude and get us."
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APPHOTO NVTS135: Donald Trump, left, and Jeb Bush, right, both speak as Ted Cruz looks on during the CNN Republican presidential debate at the Venetian Hotel & Casino on Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2015, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher) (15 Dec 2015)
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APPHOTO NVTS136: Marco Rubio speaks during the CNN Republican presidential debate at the Venetian Hotel & Casino on Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2015, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher) (15 Dec 2015)
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APPHOTO NVTS137: Ben Carson, left, and Donald Trump laugh during the CNN Republican presidential debate at the Venetian Hotel & Casino on Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2015, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher) (15 Dec 2015)
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APPHOTO NVTS134: Donald Trump speaks during the CNN Republican presidential debate at the Venetian Hotel & Casino on Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2015, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher) (15 Dec 2015)
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APPHOTO NVTS138: Ben Carson, left, and Donald Trump laugh during the CNN Republican presidential debate at the Venetian Hotel & Casino on Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2015, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher) (15 Dec 2015)
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