When Barack Obama was running for president in 2008, he vowed that immediately after taking office he would travel to a Muslim-majority country and deliver a major address to Muslims and Arabs as part of a determined effort to improve relations. After all, anti-American sentiment had risen sharply in much of the Middle East during the administration of his predecessor, George W. Bush.
In contrast, President-elect Donald Trump campaigned this year on a promise to get tough on Muslims. His announcement that he would impose “a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States,” until we “figure out what’s going on” was one of his many shocking statements in a campaign filled with promises that would violate America’s social norms, not to mention its anti-discrimination laws.
Obama kept his word and gave his conciliatory speech in Cairo in June 2009. Trump has softened his proposal since winning the election, but his hard-line anti-terrorism rhetoric has not disappeared.