Donald Trump yesterday said that he meant exactly what he said when he called President Barack Obama the "founder of ISIS" and objected when a conservative radio show host tried to clarify the GOP nominee's position, CNN reports. Trump was asked by host Hugh Hewitt about the comments Trump made Wednesday night in Florida, and Hewitt said he understood Trump to mean "that he (Obama) created the vacuum, he lost the peace." Trump objected. "No, I meant he's the founder of ISIS," Trump said. "I do. He was the most valuable player. I give him the most valuable player award. I give her, too, by the way, Hillary Clinton."
Hewitt pushed back again, saying that Obama is "not sympathetic" to ISIS and "hates" and is "trying to kill them."
"I don't care," Trump said, according to a show transcript. "He was the founder. His, the way he got out of Iraq was that that was the founding of ISIS, okay?"
Hewitt and Trump went back and forth after that, with Hewitt warning Trump that his critics would seize on his use of "founder" as more example of Trump being loose with words.
Clinton later hit back on Thursday on Twitter, saying it was Trump who was unfit to be president.
"It can be difficult to muster outrage as frequently as Donald Trump should cause it, but his smear against President Obama requires it," Clinton tweeted. "No, Barack Obama is not the founder of ISIS. ... Anyone willing to sink so low, so often should never be allowed to serve as our Commander-in-Chief."
Trump has been under near-constant scrutiny for his discussion of sensitive world events, with his opponents using favorable comments he's made toward Vladimir Putin and other dictators as evidence of misplaced priorities.
Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, one of the most senior Republicans to oppose Trump, said her decision came down to Trump making the world a "more dangerous" place, in her estimation.
While Trump remains around 40% in national polling, Obama's approval rating was at 54% after the Democratic convention, according to CNN polling. But the GOP nominee remained steadfast, saying it was "no mistake" what he said, standing by his labeling of the Democratic opponent as a "co-founder."
"Do you not like that?" Trump asked Hewitt. "I think I would say they created, they lost the peace. They created the Libyan vacuum, they created the vacuum into which ISIS came, but they didn't create ISIS. That's what I would say," Hewitt said.
"Well, I disagree," Trump replied, and Hewitt moved on.