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He called it yapping, loose talk, and sloppiness. President Obama dismissed criticism of his administration's avoidance of the term "radical Islam" and urged America to live up to its founding values Tuesday, speaking at length about inclusiveness and religious freedom.


Obama called out Republicans for criticizing the way he discusses terrorism and extremist groups — which follows the same logic as his Republican predecessor — and he directed particular attention at the GOP's presumptive presidential nominee, Donald Trump.

Regarding terms such as "radical Islam" and "radical Islamists," Obama said, "It's a political talking point. It's not a strategy."

President Obama Delivers a Statement to the Press


The argument over how to refer to violent religious extremists has become an issue in the presidential campaign — as 

 for today's Morning Edition, that argument pits accusations of political correctness against charges of broad inaccuracy. Brian's story includes this historical context:

The president's remarks followed a National Security Council meeting on ISIS (or, to use U.S. officials' preferred acronym, ISIL) at the Department of Treasury.

Obama took more than 25 minutes to explore those and other ideas today; his remarks also included an update on the investigation into this past weekend's shootings in Orlando — an update he concluded by saying it should be harder for gunmen to get their hands on powerful weapons in the U.S. But it was his discussion of the "radical Islam" argument — and America's relationships with Muslims — that seemed to spark the most passion from the president.

Recalling seven and a half years of trying to combat terrorism, Obama said, "Not once has an adviser of mine said, 'Man, if we really use that phrase, we're going to turn this whole thing around.' Not once."

After a pause of several seconds, Obama continued:

Obama also cited the intelligence and law enforcement personnel who work to foil terrorist plots and to protect "all Americans — including politicians who tweet and appear on cable news shows."

The president then explored the reasons he is careful with his language, calling it part of a strategy to defeat extremism:

Obama then turned to the current discussion in American politics — dismissing partisan talk about the label as "yapping."

The president then turned his attention to the current political climate, particularly the sentiments of Donald Trump, who said in the wake of the Orlando violence to "expand on his previous call to temporarily ban all Muslims from immigrating to the United States," 

Criticizing "this kind of rhetoric and loose talk and sloppiness," Obama noted that the gunman in Orlando, one of the San Bernardino killers, and the Fort Hood killer were all U.S. citizens. He questioned where the rhetoric would stop, raising the specter of discrimination against Muslim Americans as one possible outcome.

Citing the danger of "making young Muslims in this country and around the world feel like no matter what they do, they're going to be under suspicion and under attack," Obama outlined the risks of such policies:

Near the end of his remarks, President Obama recalled the inspiration he felt in attending the recent graduation ceremony at the Air Force Academy. Referring to the open and inclusive atmosphere he saw that day, he praised America's military and then said, "Those are the values that ISIL is trying to destroy. And we shouldn't help them do it. "

Crime, Law and Justice

Religion and Faith

"It's a political talking point. It's not a strategy," Obama said in a lengthy speech in which he also criticized Donald Trump's proposals for Muslim immigrants.

Obama slams 'yapping' over 'radical Islam' and terrorism

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