Trump’s “Face the Nation” interview this weekend was described by one of his fellow Republicans as “one of the worst mistakes Trump has made.”
When asked if he believes a Muslim judge would be biased against him in a courtroom, Trump said, “It’s possible, yes. Yeah. That would be possible. Absolutely.”
He also reaffirmed earlier comments about Judge Gonzalo Curiel being biased against him. Judge Curiel is presiding over the Trump University fraud case, and Trump has repeatedly — and incorrectly — referred to the judge as a Mexican.
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Host John Dickerson brought up an American tradition where “we don’t judge people by who their parents are and where they came from.”
“I’m not talking about tradition, I’m talking about common sense, okay He’s somebody, he’s proud of his heritage, and I think it’s great that he’s proud of his heritage,” Trump said.
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“I want to build a wall. I don’t think it’s very confusing,” Trump said. “It has nothing to do with anything except common sense. We have to stop being so politically correct in this country. We need a little more common sense, John. And I’m not blaming. I’m proud of my heritage. We’re all proud of our heritage. But I want to build a wall. The Hispanics, many of them, like what I’m saying. They’re here legally. They don’t want people coming and taking their jobs and taking their house and everything else. They don’t want that.”
Some of Trump’s fellow Republicans have responded and separated themselves from his comments — but will not disavow the candidate.
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House Speaker Paul Ryan said, “I completely disagree” with Trump’s remarks. This came one day after Ryan endorsed Trump for president after long insisting he could not get behind the candidate.
Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) said on ABC’s “This Week,” “I think he’s going to have to change” in regard to Trump’s outlandish behavior and said he does not condone Trump’s rhetoric. Corker also said Trump “has an opportunity to really change the trajectory of our country, and it’s my sense that he will take advantage of that.”
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Newt Gingrich, a known Trump supporter and former House speaker, on “Fox News Sunday” described the comments as “inexcusable” and said, “This is one of the worst mistakes Trump has made.”
He then went on to praise the candidate. “I’m amazed at his speed, how fast he learns,” Gingrich, who has been speculated as a possible running mate for Trump, said. “He’s a remarkable leader. We have a very good relationship.”
Gov. John Kasich (Ohio), meanwhile, took to Twitter Monday morning to call out Trump and insisted that he apologize to the judge.
Attacking judges based on their race &/or religion is another tactic that divides our country. More importantly, it is flat out wrong.(1of2)
— John Kasich (@JohnKasich) June 6, 2016
.@RealDonaldTrump should apologize to Judge Curiel & try to unite this country. #TwoPaths (2of2)
— John Kasich (@JohnKasich) June 6, 2016
Last month Kasich said he was not yet endorsing Trump because he could not support the candidate’s message — but he did not rule it out for the future, maintaining that he was still “undecided here about what I’m gonna do in this race.”
“We’ll see what he does,” Kasich said. “He has a chance to move to the positive side and unify this country.”
Trump previously called for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States — including those who are already legal citizens. He recently backtracked and explained there may be “exceptions” to this rule but on Sunday once again said, “I would be very tough” on that ban.
Trump launched his attack on Judge Curiel at a San Diego rally last month, calling the judge “a hater” and saying he “should be ashamed of himself” while adding that the judge is Mexican.
Judge Curiel was born in Indiana to immigrant parents. He was appointed to the bench by former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a Republican. In 2011 President Barack Obama appointed Judge Curiel to the United States District Court for the Southern District of California.
A recent Fox News poll found that Trump has a 74 percent unfavorable rate among Latinos in the country.
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