White House Says Obama Won't Use Term 'Radical Islamism'

The White House said Monday President Barack Obama will not use the phrase "radical Islamism" because it would give the terrorists "legitimacy."

White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters during a press briefing the president won't budge despite the pleas of many critics who want him to, in their words, call radical Islamic terrorism what it is.

"Listen, I think the president has been quite clear why we choose the language we use to define our enemy," Earnest said, according to Politico.  "And we have defined the enemy, our adversary in this war as a terrorist organization that perverts Islam.

"And the president's been blunt about that and the president has been blunt about why exactly we use the terminology that we do. And it is to make crystal clear we're not going to give those extremist organizations the legitimacy of claiming legitimate Islam."

Earnest said the terrorists who claim to be Muslims are not true followers of the faith and do not represent it.

"They want to further this narrative that they represent Islam in a war against the West. That narrative is false. It is empty. It is a myth," Earnest said. "In fact, most of the victims of these terrorist organizations are in fact innocent Muslim men, women and children."

While speaking about the Orlando terror attack, Democrat Hillary Clinton said Monday she believes the terms "radical jihadism" and "radical Islamism" are one in the same.

"I think they mean the same thing. I'm happy to say either, Clinton said. 

"All of his talk and demagoguery and rhetoric is not going to solve the problem. I'm not going to demonize and demagogue and declare war on an entire religion."

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