The five people running for president of the United States said Tuesday if they were in office, they would take swift and aggressive action against terrorism after a string of deadly attacks rocked Belgium's capital city, killing at least 31 and injuring dozens more.
Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, appearing on NBC's "Today" show Tuesday morning, emphasized the importance of tightening security and working closely with European allies to "prevent terrorists from ever doing this again."
"It's going to be a long challenge because of a lot of factors, including, you know, the easy accessibility to powerful explosives and mobility of terrorists in today's world, but we've got to be absolutely strong and smart and steady in how we respond," she said.
When asked what she would do differently if in office today, Clinton mentioned a visa system and passenger record system, two initiatives she worked to implement during her tenure as secretary of state.
"It's unrealistic to say we’re going to completely shut down our borders to anyone — that would stop commerce, for example, and that’s not in anybody’s interests — but we have to do a much better job, in coordination with the Europeans, on tracking and following anyone who has any connection with terrorist activity or terrorism," Clinton explained.
Republican front-runner Donald Trump also addressed Tuesday's attacks on the "Today" show, saying he would be "very, very tough on borders" if he were president.
"And I wouldn't allow certain people to come into this country without proper documentation," he explained.
Trump also said the government should "be able to do whatever they have to do" to obtain information from Salah Abdeslam, a key suspect in November's Paris attacks who was arrested just days ago in Molenbeek, the Brussels suburb targeted Tuesday.
"Waterboarding, if it was up to me, would be fine," Trump said, adding that he would permit "a lot more than waterboarding."
The billionaire businessman earlier reacted to the attacks on Twitter, recalling "how beautiful and safe Brussels was" and urging the U.S. to be "vigilant and smart."
Republican candidates Sen. Ted Cruz and Ohio Gov. John Kasich also responded to the Brussels blasts on social media, as did Democratic Sen. Bernie Sanders.
Sanders expressed his support for the victims on Twitter late Tuesday morning.
"We offer our deepest condolences to the families who lost loved ones in this barbaric attack and to the people of Brussels who were the target of another cowardly attempt to terrorize innocent civilians. We stand with our European allies to offer any necessary assistance in these difficult times," Sanders said in a statement. "Today’s attack is a brutal reminder that the international community must come together to destroy ISIS. This type of barbarism cannot be allowed to continue."
In a statement posted on Facebook, Cruz warned that "these terror attacks are no isolated incidents," and that "radical Islam is at war with us." He blasted President Barack Obama for his response to the terror threat, saying, "we can never hope to defeat this evil so long as we refuse to even name it."
"That ends on January 20, 2017, when I am sworn in as president," Cruz added. "We will name our enemy — radical Islamic terrorism. And we will defeat it."
Kasich tweeted a statement Tuesday morning, offering his condolences.
"Along with every American, I am sickened by the pictures of the carnage, by the injuries and by the loss of life," Kasich said in the statement. "The wave of terror that has been unleashed in Europe and elsewhere around the world are attacks against our very way of life and against the democratic values upon which our political systems have been built."
The Ohio governor pledged to take action, saying, "We and our allies must rededicate ourselves to these values of freedom and human rights" and work closely to "root out and destroy the perpetrators of such acts of evil."
Photo Credit: AP, Getty Images
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