"No, I would not put a Muslim in my cabinet" is the end of the candidacy, and the reality is that there are qualified Americans who are Muslim, love this country, and disagree with the destroy-all-but-Islam interpretation of the Koran. Frankly, I do not understand how one can interpret that book as anything but violent, and in my opinion, Muhammed was a purely political figure and a destructive one.
I'm open to debate on this, but I don't see any other answer. There are Muslims who detest what's being done in Islam's name. Not enough of them, and not loudly enough, and in my opinion it's a very sick religion right now, and perhaps can be nothing other than that as a whole because of it's foundations.
But if you disagree, what would your answer have been? Is it necessarily pandering to answer that way? I'm not so sure.
Perhaps his polls slide as a result. I doubt they will. Any other answer would have ended his polls.
The question that was asked requires a much longer answer than he could possibly have given. If this were a business deal, he could have said so. But ... it's politics. Trump will have to act like a politician sometimes. Reagan did too.
Why??
Are you suggesting that Trump fears the political consequences of saying what he believes??