“I think that should be absolutely disavowed. They’re asking me, you know, how about the economy?”
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The Republican big beast, who was Mitt Romney’s running mate in the 2012 election, today “disavowed” his comments, but said he’d still back him against Hillary Clinton.
“I regret those comments he made”.
Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake, who has refused to back Trump, said the candidate needs to “keep walking” back the statement. Rauner’s aides have said he won’t endorse Trump or attend this summer’s Republican National Convention.
Trump has repeatedly said Curiel should be disqualified from hearing the case because of his Mexican heritage.
Kirk withdrew his endorsement of Trump after the presumptive presidential nominee repeatedly maintained that an American-born judge of Mexican descent can not fairly oversee a case against Trump University.
Graham added, “There’ll come a time when the love of country will trump hatred of Hillary”.
A senior House Republican, who didn’t want to be identified discussing private conversations, said he’s spoken with some colleagues who have backed Trump “who are trying to figure out a way to walk it back right now”. “I’m still getting used to the new world”, he says.
“It’s wrong to be concerned about the heritage or ethnicity of a judge, and I do not think he should have said that”, Blunt said in a statement.
Most others, including Ryan, reaffirmed their plans to support him, but the situation exposed the peril for Republicans with the volatile and unpredictable Trump as their standard-bearer.
Donald Trump is set to face reporters Tuesday night to deliver remarks at the conclusion of the GOP primaries, just hours after he released a statement aimed at quelling controversy he stirred up among some top Republicans over racially charged comments. Trump was promising to bar Muslims and deport undocumented immigrants, but the very fact that these measures would encompass millions of faceless people makes them hard to think about except in abstract terms.
Trump said Tuesday all judges should be fair and impartial, and that he doesn’t feel that one’s heritage makes them incapable of being impartial.
Trump says U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel can not judge him fairly because he is of Mexican heritage and Trump plans to build a wall with Mexico.
Ryan’s counterpart in the Senate, Mitch McConnell, said on Tuesday that Trump should avoid such comments, saying, “The less said about all that the better”. John Kasich could choose Brown’s replacement and he would choose a Republican. Sen. “No, I do not”, Ryan said.
Trump issued a statement Tuesday saying his words about Curiel have been “misconstrued”.
Many in the GOP establishment talked of Trump becoming more presidential as he turned away from the primary, but the past week has made that look less likely.
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But with 24 GOP Senate seats to defend this cycle, including a number in swing states with large Hispanic populations, Trump’s comments continue to put vulnerable Republicans in a tough spot.
