After his call for a "total and complete shutdown" of Muslims entering America ignited global outrage, Mr Trump continued to defend his views telling ABC News in an interview that he has no regrets.
"Not at all. We have to do the right thing. Somebody in this country has to say what's right," he said.
International leaders joined a chorus of criticism, British Minister David Cameron said Trump's opinion is "divisive, unhelpful and quite simply wrong" and the French Prime Minister Manuel Valls tweeted: "Mr. Trump, like others, strokes hatred and confusion: our only enemy is radical Islam."
But will Donald Trump now destroy the Republican Party? Despite near universal condemnation by his own party's leaders, he is refusing to toe the line, and still has his supporters.
The latest polls show Mr Trump leading with 32 per cent in a key early state, New Hampshire, reflecting that terrorist attacks in Paris and California have made national security a major issue. These polls were conducted before Mr Trump's latest comments on banning Muslims.
According to a polling firm, Public Policy Polling, Donald Trump's Islamophobia has huge appeal to his supporter base.
About 67 per cent of his voters support a Muslim database in the United States versus 14 per cent against, the poll shows. 51 per cent want to see the Mosques in the country shut down versus 16 per cent against and 44 per cent think Islam should be illegal in the United States versus 24 per cent against.
Meanwhile Mr Trump has threatened to leave the Republican Party, tweeting
A new poll indicates that 68% of my supporters would vote for me if I departed the GOP & ran as an independent. https://t.co/ztP5d2ctZl
- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 8, 2015Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world
