title:  Trump Says One ‘Exception’ To Muslim Ban Is His ‘Very Rich’ Middle Eastern Business Partners
text: Donald Trump s trainwreck interview with Chris Matthews wasn t just notable for his abhorrent views on abortion, but also because he took the time to remind people that he hasn t stopped being a horrible racist, too.In a window into what a Trump presidency might realistically look like, Trump told Matthews that he wasn t above playing favorites for his friends when he imposed his ban on Muslims entering the United States. While the majority of Muslims would be blocked regardless of circumstance, his  very rich Muslim friends  (i.e. the ones he has business deals with) can get a pass. He trusts them   because they make him money. I have actually believe it or not, I have a lot of friends that are Muslim and they call me,  Trump said, when asked about his plan by MSNBC s Chris Matthews, the event s moderator.  In most cases, they re very rich Muslims, OK? Matthews then asked Trump if his rich Muslim friends would be able enter the country under Trump s Muslim ban.  They ll come in,  Trump said.  You ll have exceptions. Trump has often brought up his  Muslim friends  who he routinely claims call him non-stop to tell him what a great job he s doing at being xenophobic towards Muslims. It might be tempting to claim that these Muslims are fictions of his imagination, a cheap talking point to justify his reprehensible plans for very real Muslims. However, it appears he really does have a few Muslim friends, but not exactly salt-of-the-earth types. He means autocrats in Middle Eastern nations. As the Daily Beast wrote about in late 2015:There s one type of Muslim Trump really loves: The ones that make him big bucks. You see, if a Muslim can show Trump the money, then all those concerns he has with Muslims go right out the window of his private jet as he jets off to the Gulf to cash in.For example, Trump loves Hussain Sajwani, head of the Dubai luxury real estate company Damac Properties. Trump has called the Muslim Sajwani a  good friend  and a  great man,  among other accolades. And in May 2014, The Donald even flew off to Dubai to spend time with his Muslim friend as they announced the massive real estate project they were teaming up to create in the United Arab Emirates.Trump, of course, has no qualms with working with Muslims if they can make his bank account grow. Suddenly, the people whose faith he thinks is hellbent on destroying America, aren t so bad. This duality makes his bigotry that much worse   he s really not that committed to it. Like any good hate-monger, Trump scapegoats Muslims to rile up his deeply anti-Muslim base. It s led to vicious hate crimes against innocent Muslim Americans, including assaults and arson. It s also led to Trump s surge in the polls. But underlying the smears and falsehoods, is a calculated stab at winning an election via exploitation of fear and hate.So of course he would let his  very rich Muslim friends  in. His Islamophobia isn t personal. It s business.Featured image via Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images