WASHINGTON (AP) – Bombings in the New York region and a stabbing attack in Minnesota have thrust Islamic extremism into the forefront of the 2016 election just a week before the first presidential debate, with Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton offering dramatically different visions of how to fight it.
Trump has embraced aggressive rhetoric in a plan that’s short on detail, but centers on limiting immigration – both legal and illegal – and dispensing with “politically correct” policies that currently block racial profiling and the use of torture.
Clinton has offered policies that would focus on leveraging alliances and improving relationships with Muslim communities at home while working closely with technology companies to crack down on propaganda and communication that encourages “lone wolf” attacks.
There are limits, of course, to what the White House can do to prevent extremist attacks at the local level, where local law enforcement remains the first line of defense. Yet the occupant of the Oval Office will have the power to set the course of the nation’s approach to fighting the threat of such attacks at home and abroad.
Here’s a look at each candidate’s prescription: