"For him to suggest banning all Muslims, I don't have a problem with that," said Sen. Mae Beavers, R-Mt. Juliet. (link)

TN GOP Chair Ryan Haynes says Trumps Call to ban Muslims "outlandish"

Tennessee Republican Party Chairman Ryan Haynes blasted his party's presidential frontrunner. Haynes, who recently vacated a seat in the state legislature to take over the state party, said Trump's comments have no place in the Republican party or American politics.

"Demanding that our borders be secure or raising legitimate questions about our screening process is one thing, but a wholesale ban on a religious basis is just wrong. This isn't a conservative proposal; it’s an outlandish idea that goes against American exceptionalism," Haynes said. (link)

Alexander rejects Trump's call to ban Muslims

WASHINGTON—U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander is rejecting Donald Trump’s call to ban all Muslims from entering the United States.

“The idea of a religious test is not consistent with my idea of what it means to be an American, and is not consistent with the principle of the free exercise of religion guaranteed by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution,” the Maryville Republican said in a statement. (link)

Corker says Trump comment counter to the values and principles of our great nation

Corker, a Chattanooga Republican who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said that while he has made “a conscious effort” to stay out of the 2016 presidential race, “these recent comments are completely counter to the values and principles of our great nation.” (link)

Haslam sounds off on Trump comments on Muslims

Gov. Bill Haslam sounded off on controversial anti-Muslim comments by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, saying they run counter to “core” American values, after a Tennessee Farm Bureau Federation event in Cool Springs on Tuesday morning.

"America was founded from the very beginning based on religious freedom and a lot of people came to our shores because they wanted freedom to practice religion the way they wanted to," Haslam said. (link)

Ron Ramsey says I would not favor a religious test

Ron Ramsey Facebook post, Dec, 8, 2015- If the last few months have taught us anything, it is that America needs to get serious about border security -- and quickly. While I would not favor an explicitly religious test, I do think it is time to place a moratorium on immigration from a long list of countries with ties to terrorism.

The United States has been the most welcoming nation in history by a large margin. But a nation without secure borders is no nation at all. We are at war with radical Islam and everyone outside of the Obama administration knows it.

It is time to seriously rethink our visa, refugee resettlement and immigration policies. It is time to press the pause button.

Republican Presidential Candidates

Jeb Bush condemned Donald Trump's call to ban Muslims from entering the United States saying calling bed Trump as "unhinged."
New Jersey governor Chris Christie said Trump's comments reflected "a ridiculous position and one that won't even be productive." ....
Ohio governor John Kasich, one of the more vocal critics of Trump, was also quick to reject his proposal. "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," Kasich said.
Florida senator Marco Rubio .."I disagree with Donald Trump's latest proposal. His habit of making offensive and outlandish statements will not bring Americans together," Rubio wrote. "The next President better be somebody who can unite our country to face the great challenges of the 21st Century." (link)

Donald Trump: Ban all Muslim travel to U.S.

(CNN)Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump called Monday for barring all Muslims from entering the United States.

"Donald J. Trump is calling for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country's representatives can figure out what is going on," a campaign press release said.

Trump, who has previously called for surveillance against mosques and said he was open to establishing a database for all Muslims living in the U.S., made his latest controversial call in a news release. His message comes in the wake of a deadly mass shooting in San Bernardino, California, by suspected ISIS sympathizers and the day after President Barack Obama asked the country not to "turn against one another" out of fear. (link)