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Donald Trump: Seven of the best responses to the Republican nominee's most controversial claims

The business mogul never fails to provoke a response with his deeply polarising views 

Heather Saul
Tuesday 08 November 2016 12:44 GMT
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Donald Trump has described the collusion between Cruz and Kasich as an act of desperation
Donald Trump has described the collusion between Cruz and Kasich as an act of desperation (Getty)

Donald Trump’s most controversial remarks and apparently ill-informed proposals rarely fail to elicit strong responses. Sadiq Khan, the newly-elected Mayor of London, was the latest to challenge the billionaire Republican nominee on his suggestion that Muslims be banned from the US. Mr Khan dismissed Mr Trump’s proposal that he would make an “exception” on his Muslim ban for him and issued a warning about the dangerous repercussions of his “ignorance”.

“This isn't just about me. It's about my friends, my family and everyone who comes from a background similar to mine, anywhere in the world," said Mr Khan. "Donald Trump's ignorant view of Islam could make both our countries less safe - it risks alienating mainstream Muslims around the world and plays into the hands of the extremists.”

Mr Khan joins a long line of people who have sought to put Mr Trump in his place with these memorable responses:

The taco bowl incident

Mr Trump’s efforts at wooing those he has so severely alienated during his campaign were overshadowed by one retort from a woman who pointed out everything she believed to be wrong with a picture of him eating a taco bowl.

“Too bad a taco bowl isn’t Mexican," she wrote. "The Trump Tower Grill isn’t either, you’re not eating taco bowls from New York because you’re in WV today, Cinco De Mayo isn’t a Hispanic holiday it’s a Mexican one, and you are the same colour as the taco bowl shell. But I digress!”

The Muslim Marine

Before suggesting an outright ban on Muslims, Mr Trump hinted he would not be opposed to forcing Muslims to carry special ID cards. Step forward former US marine Tayyib Rashid, a Muslim who had a special ID card - his military ID - and wanted to know where Mr Trump's was.

The petition to prevent him from entering the UK

His Muslim ban continues to be one of his polarising policy suggestions to date. The people of Britain made their opinion loud on clear on this proposal when over half a million signed a petition calling for him to be banned from entering the UK, triggering a Parliamentary debate.

The biggest problem with his Muslim ban speech

Mr Trump was eloquently taken to task by human rights lawyer Amal Clooney, who took a moment during an interview with the BBC to call out his divisive rhetoric.

If you actually look at what he specifically says in that now-infamous speech about Muslims, he kept saying, 'They only want jihad; they don't believe in our way of life; they don't respect our system.' And when he says ‘they’. […] Do you mean the 1.5 billion people around the world who fit that description? Do you mean the people who are US citizens, who are members of your military, the vast majority of whom are not extremist or violent in any way?

Confusing 7/11 with 9/11

Vocal Trump opponent Selma Hayek issued her most acerbic response to date when Mr Trump mistakenly referred to the 9/11 terror attacks as 7/11, the name of a popular convenience store in the US.

America is already 'pretty damn great'

Only someone living under a rock could have failed to miss the ubiquitous 'Make America Great' again slogan made famous by the white hat Mr Trump sported while riding around in a golf buggy.

The incumbent President had something to say about Mr Trump's promise to transform the US into a Republican utopia: "America's already pretty damn great.

“The American people should already be proud of what we achieved together, right now. [Lets] build on the progress we've made, not reverse it.”

We are also going to include this NSFW response from DeadSpin, a sports website owned by Gawker Media, for consideration as one of the most memorable.

Read more: Sadiq Khan condemns Donald Trump over suggestion London mayor could be ‘exception’ to US Muslim ban

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