Grassley, Branstad disagree with Trump on Muslim ban

CEDAR RAPIDS - They disagree with his comments, but Iowa's Sen. Chuck Grassley and Gov. Terry Branstad say President Barack Obama's lack of leadership on anti-terrorism is at least partly to blame for the public support of Donald Trump's proposal to ban Muslims from entering the United States.

Grassley and Branstad made clear Wednesday they don't support Trump's call for a 'complete and total shutdown” of Muslims entering the country, but said the entertainment mogul is tapping into voters' lack of confidence in Obama and nervousness about the threat of domestic terrorism.

'No, I don't agree with what Trump is recommending, but Americans are concerned about their safety and they don't think the president is taking it seriously,” Branstad said. 'I think others have a better approach. His approach shows a lack of experience.”

'I happen to disagree with Mr. Trump on this,” Grassley said during his weekly conference call with Iowa reporters. However, if there is 'some sympathy and understanding” for what Trump said it's because he's 'addressing a lot of anxiety of the American people about the threat of radical Islamic extremism.”

'It's there. It comes in my emails and into my phone calls,” Grassley added.

Branstad and Grassley have called for a temporary halt to plans to resettle Syrian refugees in Iowa and elsewhere in the United States.

Iowans, Branstad said during a television appearance on Bloomberg in New York, are accepting of immigrants, 'but we want people to come here legally and we're fearful of ISIS trying to infiltrate people coming into this country to do us harm.”

Americans have seen the terrorist events at the Boston Marathon, Chattanooga, Fort Hood and San Bernardino, 'and we don't want it to happen in Iowa,” said Branstad, who is among the majority of governors who have called for putting the brakes on Syrian refugee resettlement.

That concern, coupled with a lack of leadership from President Barack Obama, are fueling Donald Trump's rising popularity, Branstad said.

'Obama has not been a leader at all and has totally underestimated the threat to America,” Branstad said. 'It's a serious thing and it's become a bigger and bigger issue.”