‘The problem is we don’t know if they’re Christian or not. And I would certainly say that would be superior,’ he said in an interview with Barbara Walters several days after the attack.

Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton responded to that with a wag of her finger.

‘We’ve seen a lot of hateful rhetoric from the GOP. But the idea that we’d turn away refugees because of religion is a new low,’ she said on Twitter.

Trump has also talked about increasing surveillance of mosques and creating a database for Muslims living in the country.

This new statement is taking it a step further, suggesting that all Muslims be banned from entering the United States.

‘Just put out a very important policy statement on the extraordinary influx of hatred & danger coming into our country. We must be vigilant!’ Trump tweeted, announcing the proposal.

When asked to articulate who would be included in this plan – Muslim immigrants or American Muslims who are currently abroad – Trump spokeswoman Hope Hicks told The Hill: ‘Mr. Trump says, “everyone.”‘ Tourists and those seeking immigration visas would also be told no.

Talking to Greta Van Susteren on Fox News, during his first media appearance after the announcement, Trump said the proposal wouldn’t affect Americans Muslims, as Van Susteren pointed out that there are certainly Muslims serving abroad in the U.S. military.

‘They’ll come home,’ Trump said. ‘They would come home. Anybody here stays, but we have to be very vigilant,’ he continued

‘Without looking at the various polling data, it is obvious to anybody the hatred is beyond comprehension,’ Trump said in the statement. ‘Where the hatred comes from and why we will have to determine.’

‘Until we are able to determine and understand this problem and the dangerous threat it poses, our country cannot be the victims of horrendous attacks by people that believe only in Jihad, and have no sense of reason or respect for human life,’ the statement continued.

Trump concluded the press release with his trademark campaign line.

‘If I win the election for President, we are going to Make America Great Again,’ Trump said.

During his interview with Van Susteren, Trump made a point he had made on Face the Nation as well – that neighbors of the San Bernardino shooters were suspicious, but didn’t want to racially profile the Muslim couple as the ISIS-supporters stockpiled ammunition and bombs.

‘Everybody knew that something bad was going to happen, but for the sake of political correctness, or whatever you want to call it, there were people who knew what was going on [who] refused to report these people,’ Trump said.

Presidential candidates on both sides of the aisle immediately jumped on Trump’s statement.

Jeb Bush, who had his own campaign driven into the ground in part thanks to Trump labeling him early on as ‘low energy,’ took to Twitter to rip the billionaire.

‘Donald Trump is unhinged,’ Bush wrote. ‘His ‘policy’ proposals aren’t serious.’

Sen. Lindsey Graham set off a storm of tweets in reaction.

‘[Donald Trump’ has gone from making absurd comments to being downright dangerous with his bombastic rhetoric,’ Graham began.

‘He’s putting at risk the lives of interpreters, American supporters, diplomats, & the troops in the region by making these bigoted comments,’ Graham continued.

‘Every candidate for president needs to do the right thing & condemn [Donald Trump’s] statement,’ he wrote.

Gov. Chris Christie, another Republican candidate, was asked about Trump’s new policy prescription during a radio appearance on the Michael Medved show, according to CNN.

‘This is the kind of thing that people say when they have no experience and don’t know what they are talking about,’ Christie said. ‘We do not need to resort to that kind of activity nor should we.’

Christie, instead, suggested beefing up intelligence activities.

‘We need to cooperate with peaceful Muslim Americans who want to give us intelligence against those who are radicalized,’ he said.

Ohio Gov. John Kasich, who has publicly tussled with Trump during the last two debates, again went full throttle.

‘This is just more of the outrageous divisiveness that characterizes his every breath and another reason why he is entirely unsuited to lead the United States,’ he said.

While Ted Cruz didn’t go in full condemnation mode, but told CNN, ‘that is not my policy.’

‘I have introduced legislation in the Senate that would put in place a three year moratorium on refugees coming from countries where ISIS or al Qaeda control a substantial amount of territory,’ Cruz said. ‘And the reason is that is where the threat is coming from.’

Democrats, not surprisingly, were not fans of Trump’s words either.

Martin O’Malley said the policy ‘removes all doubt,’ he wrote. ‘[Donald Trump] is running for president as a fascist demagogue.’

‘The U.S. is a strong nation when we stand together,’ wrote Clinton’s chief rival Bernie Sanders. ‘We are weak when we allow racism and xenophobia to divide us.’

And then Sanders ‘cc’-ed his statement to Trump.

Clinton jumped into the fray a little later than her rivals.

 ‘This is reprehensible, prejudiced and divisive,’ she wrote. ‘You don’t get it. This makes us less safe,’ she added, signing her tweet with her trademark ‘H.’

The White House also reacted negatively to the idea, with a top official calling it ‘contrary to our values.’

White House deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes said that ISIS already wants to portray the conflict as a war between the United States and Islam.

‘If we look like we’re applying religious tests [for] who comes into this country, we’re sending a message that essentially we’re embracing that frame,’ Rhodes said during an appearance on CNN.

 ‘We should be making it harder for [ISIS] to portray this as a war between the United States and Islam, not easier,’ he added.

On Fox, Trump brushed off the criticism suggesting that most of his Republican peers would come around. He, again, mocked Bush for being ‘low energy,’ and he said Christie should spend his time worrying about the George Washington Bridge, the structure in the center of Christie’s ‘bridgegate’ scandal that partially derailed his political career.

Kasich, too, Trump countered, was a terrible debater and was too low in the polls to matter.

‘I watched the president last night in one of the most ridiculous speeches I have ever seen,’ Trump said to counteract any White House blowback.

 ‘He doesn’t have a clue, he doesn’t know what he’s doing, the man doesn’t have a clue,’ Trump said of Obama.