House Speaker Paul Ryan on Tuesday described Donald Trump’s criticism of a Mexican-American judge as “racist”, but reiterated his support for the presumptive Republican presidential nominee.
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Mr Trump has been on the defensive since his comments last week about Mexican-American US district judge Gonzalo Curiel, who is overseeing fraud lawsuits against Trump University, the NY businessman’s defunct real estate school.
“Speaker Ryan is wrong and Speaker Ryan has apparently switched positions and is supporting identity politics, which is racist”, Trump supporter Jeffrey Lord, a member of the Reagan administration, said on CNN Tuesday when asked about Ryan’s concerns.
Pressed by a reporter on how he can support Trump in spite of his “textbook” racist comments, Ryan said, “I don’t know what’s in his heart but I think that comment itself is defined that way”. Illinois Republican Senator Mark Kirk, who’s facing a tough reelection challenge in November, released a statement saying, “I can not and will not support my party’s nominee”.
“Based on the rulings that I have received in the Trump University civil case, I feel justified in questioning whether I am receiving a fair trial”, Trump said. No, I do not.
“I have indicated that I’m hoping that Donald Trump can say and do the things that will make me comfortable supporting him”, Toomey said in some of his most extensive comments yet about the presumptive GOP nominee.
In response, the billionaire accused the judge of making that decision because of his Mexican heritage, which he said was a conflict of interest on Curiel’s part because of his own plan to build a wall along the southern border with Mexico to stem the flow of illegal immigrants.
“I have spent my life building bridges and tearing down barriers – not building walls”, Kirk said in a statement on the race. That the idea has been raised, and that Trump has provoked such strong criticism from Ryan and other senior Republicans, is a sign of how mightily the party is straining to hold itself together.
“What is important is this: even after Trump’s racist comments from the weekend, Toomey today stands ready to support him for president”, said a release from McGinty spokesman Josh Levitt. “It’s absolutely unacceptable”, Ryan said Tuesday morning.
“I disavow those comments. No, I do not”, Ryan said.
Trump has not backed away from the comments.
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Trump also doubled-down on the successes of Trump U, which offered trainings on real estate, and sought to discredit the accusations of some of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit. Congressional Republicans have been dogged by questions about Trump’s comments since returning from Memorial Day recess at the start of the week, and the furor could get worse before it gets better.
