Donald Trump's campaign website swiftly removed a 2015 statement after a reporter asked about it in the daily press briefing.
On Monday, a reporter asked White House spokesman Sean Spicer why Trump's original call for a "total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States" is still on the campaign site if the administration is no longer referring to it as a "Muslim ban."
Spicer responded that he wasn't aware of what was on the website, adding that the White House has been "very consistent" in referring to this policy as a "travel ban."
"It's in this country's national security interest to make sure the people coming in here aren't coming in here with the right motives and reasons and that we're having a public safety aspect to making sure we're protecting our people," Spicer said.
While the page has since been removed, the cached version can be viewed on Google.
The full original statement is below:
DONALD J. TRUMP STATEMENT ON PREVENTING MUSLIM IMMIGRATION
(New York, NY) December 7th, 2015, -- Donald J. Trump is calling for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country's representatives can figure out what is going on. According to Pew Research, among others, there is great hatred towards Americans by large segments of the Muslim population. Most recently, a poll from the Center for Security Policy released data showing "25% of those polled agreed that violence against Americans here in the United States is justified as a part of the global jihad" and 51% of those polled, "agreed that Muslims in America should have the choice of being governed according to Shariah." Shariah authorizes such atrocities as murder against non-believers who won't convert, beheadings and more unthinkable acts that pose great harm to Americans, especially women.
Mr. Trump stated, "Without looking at the various polling data, it is obvious to anybody the hatred is beyond comprehension. Where this hatred comes from and why we will have to determine. Until we are able to determine and understand this problem and the dangerous threat it poses, our country cannot be the victims of horrendous attacks by people that believe only in Jihad, and have no sense of reason or respect for human life. If I win the election for President, we are going to Make America Great Again." - Donald J. Trump