GEORGE SOROS: Donald Trump and Ted Cruz are 'doing the work of ISIS'

REUTERS/Christian Hartmann

Hedge fund billionaire George Soros said that Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is "doing the work of ISIS." 

Soros, 85, made the comments in a Bloomberg TV interview at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

He accused Trump of fear-mongering, saying that his comments about Muslims might lead people to perpetrate harmful acts.

That then plays in the hands of ISIS, he said, as the terrorist organization wants people to turn against Muslims. 

"That's what, by fear-mongering, Donald Trump and the others, [Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas)], and others and so on, are doing the work of ISIS." 

Soros said that ISIS wants people to "turn against Muslims, treat them with suspicion, and convince the Muslims community that there is no alternative except terrorism." 

"It turns the young Muslim population into a breeding ground of terrorists, and we must resist that," he said.

Trump has faced criticism on both sides of the US political aisle for his rhetoric on Muslims and his proposals to temporarily ban most Muslim immigrants and tourists from entering the country.

Last month, Clinton stirred controversy when she claimed that the terrorist group ISIS was "showing videos of Donald Trump" to potential recruits. Trump subsequently demanded an apology after her campaign couldn't point to a specific video, but the Clinton campaign refused and pointed back to Trump’s rhetoric.

However, Trump was reportedly subsequently featured in a recruitment video for al-Shabaab, a Somalia-based extremist group linked to Al Qaeda.

Soros later added that he thinks the threat of ISIS is "over estimated." 

"[ISIS is] very successful in exploiting this fear of death, but they are losing ground in Syria, in the caliphate. They know their days are numbered because the Iraqi army is going to squeeze them out." 

Soros, a well-known Democratic donor, later said that he doesn't think Trump will be elected president, but he will get "quite a few votes." He added that he thinks Hillary Clinton is the one who is "most qualified" to be president. 

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