Trump vows to expand Muslim ban and bar Gaza refugees if he wins presidency

Former president in speech in Iowa says he would immediately begin ideological screening' for all immigrants

Doubling down on the hardline immigration policies that have long animated his base, Donald Trump on Monday vowed to bar refugees from Gaza and immediately expand his first-term Muslim travel ban if he wins a second term following the deadly attack on Israel last week.

Speaking to supporters in Iowa, the former president said that if he returns to the Oval Office, he will immediately begin ideological screening" for all immigrants and bar those who sympathize with Hamas and Muslim extremists. The war between Israel and Hamas has sparked what is now the deadliest of five Gaza wars for both sides, with more than 4,000 dead.