WASHINGTON (TheBlaze/AP) -- Donald Trump says he didn't suggest creating a database to track Muslims in America, but instead was answering a question from a reporter about the idea.
In a tweet sent Friday, the Republican presidential front-runner adds that "we must defeat Islamic terrorism" and "have surveillance, including a watch list, to protect America."
On Thursday, Trump was asked by a reporter from NBC News if there should be a system that "tracks Muslims" in the U.S.
"There should be a lot of systems, beyond databases," Trump said.
The billionaire businessman added that he would "certainly implement" a policy to do just that.
Trump said Muslims would be signed up at "different places" and added, "It's all about management."
Asked whether registering would be mandatory, Trump responded: "They have to be."
Trump's rival Republican presidential candidates condemned the database idea on Friday, with former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush calling it "abhorrent."
