The Hill News

President Obama condemned a Florida pastor's plans to burn copies of the Quran, calling it a "stunt" that could endanger the U.S. at home and abroad.

The president urged Pastor Terry Jones to call off the bonfire he's planned for Saturday to burn a number of copies of the Islamic holy book.

"As a very practical matter, as commander in chief of the armed forces of the United States, that this stunt that he is talking about pulling could greatly endanger our young men and women who are in uniform," Obama said Thursday on ABC's "Good Morning America."

But the president also cautioned that the danger to Americans could extend domestically, as well.

"This could increase the recruitment of people who want to blow themselves up in American cities, or European cities," he warned.

Jones has said he plans to push forward with his Quran bonfire despite the growing pressure on him to call it off.

Nearly every member of the Obama administration has spoken out against the event, and many Republicans have joined in the chorus against Jones's event. Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R), who often finds herself on the opposite side of the president, called the event an "insensitive and unnecessary provocation."

Obama said he was optimistic that the increased pressure on Jones would make a difference.

"I hope he listens to those better angels and understand that this is a destructive act t! hat he's engaging in," he said.