6 Trump quotes about Islam he'll have to live down when he visits Saudi Arabia

Donald Trump will give a speech on Islam to Muslim leaders in Saudi Arabia.

There's a top line you never thought you'd read. But it is true.

On his first trip abroad as US president, the property mogul turned politician will address around 50 Muslim leaders in opening a centre dedicated to moderate Islam.

It will be 'inspiring but direct' about the need to confront terrorism, his national security adviser H R McMaster said.

'The speech is intended to unite the broader Muslim world against common enemies of all civilisation and to demonstrate America's commitment to our Muslim partners.'

We'll see.

In the meantime here are six quotes from what Donald Trump has already said about Muslims, that will certainly not endear him to his Islamic audience in a few weeks time.

President Donald Trump may regret his harsh rhetoric as he embarks on a trip to Saudi Arabia, the Vatican, and Israel in his first overseas visit.Reuters

1. On the election campaign he said:

'Donald J Trump is calling for a complete and total shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country's representatives can figure out what the hell is going on' (December 2015).

2. On false reports Arabic people were cheering when the Twin Towers were attacked:

'There were people that were cheering on the other side of New Jersey, where you have large Arab populations. They were cheering as the World Trade Centre came down' (November 2015).

3. On ISIS:

'In the Middle East, we have people chopping the heads off Christians, we have people chopping the heads off many other people. We have things that we have never seen before -- as a group, we have never seen before, what's happening right now. The medieval times – I mean, we studied medieval times – not since medieval times have people seen what's going on. I would bring back waterboarding and I'd bring back a hell of a lot worse than waterboarding' (February 2016).

4. On the campaign trail again:

'I think Islam hates us. There's a tremendous hatred. We have to get to the bottom of it. There is an unbelievable hatred of us' (March 2016). 

5. On Twitter after the Orlando shooting in a gay nightclub by a man who claimed allegiance to ISIS:

'Appreciate the congrats for being right on radical Islamic terrorism, I don't want congrats, I want toughness & vigilance. We must be smart!' (June 2016).

6. On the gold-star, Muslim-American parents who appeared at the Democratic Convention in support of Clinton:

'I saw him. He was, you know, very emotional. And probably looked like – a nice guy to me. His wife, if you look at his wife, she was standing there. She had nothing to say. She probably – maybe she wasn't allowed to have anything to say' (July 2016).