Utica pollster John Zogby has strong opinions about Donald Trump's proposed ban on Muslim's entering the country.

Earlier this week, Trump proposed that the United States initiate an immediate moratorium on Muslims entering the United States.  When pressed on whether or not that included American Muslims, Trump's campaign said, "everybody;" however, they later back tracked slightly later in the day.  Still, despite harsh criticism from Democrats and Republicans, Trump has doubled down on the proposal and justifies it by saying, "it's temporary," during an interview with Barbara Walters on ABC.

"I honestly cannot say that Donald Trump has finally crossed the line. He actually did that the day he announced his candidacy for President," said Zogby in a release sent out to the media.  "Then he kept crossing the line repeatedly after that. I honestly do not care if his poll numbers were and continue to be high. My own polls show strong support for him and if they continue to do so I will honestly report the numbers as they are. We all need to know the truth. Even when it hurts people."

Zogby cites some of the hurt that Trump claims serves as precedence for his proposal.

"In the past, the United States has actually prohibited Chinese and Japanese, limited southern and eastern Europeans, and turned a deaf ear to Jews -- for what? It brought out the worst in us and no one looks at our xenophobic moments with any sense of pride or nostalgia," he said.

What about these American Muslims?

Zogby speaks first-hand about Muslim Americans throughout the country, having conducted several polls on that community for institutions like Georgetown University, the Department of Labor and the U.S. military.

Zogby says he knows "the several million to be loyal, patriotic, easy to assimilate Americans. Muslim Americans are Eagle Scouts, city councilmen, military veterans, scholarship winners, leading entrepreneurs, and much more. Trump's arguments are vicious and have no place in the public discourse. While he has the right to speak them, he should be roundly criticized."

He said everyone should speak out against Trump's claims; from the Republicans and Democrats to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to every writer at Forbes Magazine, where he serves as a columnist.

Zogby is Admittedly Biased

Zogby's own father entered this country illegally as an immigrant in 1924 as a young Catholic Lebanese man fleeing the then Ottoman Empire. It was a national quota at that time that prevented him from entering the country as a legal immigrant.

"Within 5 years he owned a business with his brothers and then put three children through college. My sister, brother and I did just fine. He and our wonderful Arabic-speaking mother set the high standards for us," said Zogby.

He says that Trump's call for a ban on Muslims is "contrary to the best traditions and the national character of the American people."

"I need to speak out as clearly as I can. I think everyone else should as well," he added. "He has crossed the line and he is a threat to our security. We live in world of 1.6 billion Muslims and this is offensive and counterproductive."

Related Content>  Congressman Richard Hanna on Donald Trump

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