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Donald Trump calls his claim that Obama founded Islamic State ‘sarcasm’

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.
(Chuck Burton / Associated Press)
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Donald Trump shrugged off his repeated insistence that President Obama created Islamic State, saying Friday that he was making a sarcastic remark that was blown out of proportion.

Trump backed off his repeated, and false, assertions of the previous two days that Obama founded the terrorist group. Asked on Thursday to clarify whether he was trying to say Obama’s policies helped lead to the creation of Islamic State, Trumptold an interviewer, “No, I mean he’s the founder of ISIS,” using an alternate name for the group.

“ISIS is honoring President Obama. He’s the founder of ISIS,” Trump also said at a rally Thursday in Sunrise, Fla.

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A Trump campaign advisor reiterated the claim that the Republican nominee was being sarcastic.

“The point that he’s trying to make is the contrast that exists, and he’s trying to bring out a really important issue and make everybody talk about it,” advisor Sarah Huckabee Sanders said on CNN.

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