Donald Trump tells ITV News he'd bring 'peace and unity' as US president
Republican presidential candidate front-runner Donald Trump has re-affirmed his provocative call to ban Muslims from the United States - and told ITV News he would "bring unity to the world" if elected.
During a debate in which the other candidates pushed their own plans for combating the so-called Islamic State, Mr Trump defended his controversial proposal, insisting it was not an attempt to discriminate against Muslims.
The billionaire also said he would be open to closing "parts of the internet" used by IS - also known as Isis - and
He suggested that he may remove some refugees the Barack Obama adminstration had already allowed in the US.
Speaking to ITV News Correspondent Martin Geissler after the debate, Mr Trump said he would be a "very popular president" and that he didn't worry about any offence his comments may have caused around the world.
"I think I'm going to bring unity to the world." He said.
But the other Republicans were quick to distance themselves from Trump's remarks, with Jeb Bush taking the strongest line against the plans:
Trump is facing a new challenge from Texas senator Ted Cruz, who has been rising in polls, particularly in Iowa, which holds its lead-off caucuses on 1 February.
But Mr Cruz and Florida senator Marco Rubio said they understood why Mr Trump had raised the idea and avoided criticising the front-runner directly.
Mr Cruz said a more narrowly-focused approach would more effectively target Islamic militants. "It's not a war on a faith," he said.
Mr Rubio said of Mr Trump's proposal, "It isn't going to happen."