Richard Perle: Trump's 'Crude' Plan to Ban Muslims Won't Work

Donald Trump's plan to temporarily ban all Muslims from entering the U.S. not only can't work, it may inflame some of the millions of Muslims already here, pushing them to be radicalized by terror groups like the Islamic State, former Assistant Sec. of Defense Richard Perle tells Newsmax TV.

"It's a very crude proposal, of course. It's certainly not a settle way of dealing with a real problem," Perle said Thursday on "The Steve Malzberg Show."

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"[That problem] is people coming into the United States who wish to do us harm and to say nothing of the people already here who become radicalized and wish to do us harm. The idea that the right way to deal with this is to exclude on the basis of religion is really quite wrong and it won't work.

In fact, it seems to me quite likely that it will embitter some of the millions of Muslims who are already in the United States and create a greater likelihood that they will be turned and radicalized. That of course is the greatest threat since you can't stop at the borders below resident or citizen."

Trump, the Republican presidential front-runner, was blasted by his GOP competitors and Democrats this week after announcing his plan to try to step terrorists from entering the U.S. Still, new polls released Thursday show his popularity skyrocketing since the remarks.

Perle served as an assistant secretary of defense in the Reagan Administration and worked on the Defense Policy Board Advisory Committee from 1987 to 2004.

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