Trump on Obama and ISIL: “I was being sarcastic but…”

So, he was being sarcastic…sort of.Show more

Republican White House hopeful Donald Trump has backed down from comments calling Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton and President Barack Obama the founders of ISIL.

But he was still linking Obama to the militant group at a campaign event on Friday in Pennsylvania.

“I mean he let this happen,” Trump told supporters.

“They had eight states. They had eight countries. They are now 28 countries. They are expanding. So I said, the founder of ISIS – obviously I’m being sarcastic…but not that sarcastic to be honest with you – and they all said ‘He should not say that’.”

Clinton meanwhile has released her tax returns, piling more pressure on her billionaire rival to do the same. The New York businessman has cited an audit by the Internal Revenue Service as a reason for his refusal to do so.

Clintons release 2015 tax returns, which show they earned $10.6 million and paid federal tax rate of 34.2 percent. https://t.co/4S2jla8Box— The Associated Press (@AP) 12 août 2016

The IRS has said Trump can release his tax returns even while under audit.

Clinton’s tax returns have been made public, in some form, every year since 1977 and for presidential candidates
it has become a common custom.

Whether more transparency is the answer or not, Trump, it seems, needs to do something to boost his campaign with polls showing him losing ground to Clinton in key states.

A Wall Street Journal/NBC News/Marist poll released on Friday found Clinton widening her lead in Colorado, Virginia and North Carolina, while holding her advantage in Florida.