In a desperate bid to stay relevant, Republican presidential long-shot George Pataki has formally denounced fellow candidate Donald Trump for the comments he made about Mexican illegal immigrants.
I reject @RealDonaldTrump comments & call on GOP candidates for President to join me in denouncing them @JebBush @marcorubio @RandPaul #FITN
— George E. Pataki (@GovernorPataki) July 1, 2015
Pataki’s comments come on the heels of NBC’s decision to cut ties with the business mogul, and the former New York governor also called upon the rest of the Republican field to join him in “standing up to Trump.” (RELATED: Pataki 2016: A Tree Falls In The Forest)
As Donald Trump doubles down, I’m asking you to join me in standing up. http://t.co/6ShyC8Fry6 @ScottWalker @GovernorPerry @CarlyFiorina
— George E. Pataki (@GovernorPataki) July 1, 2015
Join me. Stand up now. Denounce Donald Trump's comments today. http://t.co/5XTULJxtVl @JohnKasich @GrahamBlog @GovChristie #FITN
— George E. Pataki (@GovernorPataki) July 1, 2015
The entirety of Pataki’s statement on Trump can be read here:
The last week of news coverage over the language used by Donald Trump to describe Mexicans has left me and a lot of other sensible people wondering what century we are living in.One hundred years ago, when Irish immigrants were coming to America, my grandmother among them, they were too often characterized as “drunks.” A few years later it was the Italian immigrants, my grandfather among them, who were called “mobsters” or worse, “dagos.” This type of divisive rhetoric is just wrong. It was wrong 100 years ago and it’s wrong today.Yet here we are in 2015 and a leading candidate for the GOP nomination for president is calling Mexicans criminals, rapists and drug dealers. This is unacceptable.I understand we must secure our border and stop illegal immigration. But I also understand that it’s not some Mexicans who are good people, it is the vast majority of Mexicans, who came here to work, succeed and live the American Dream.My fellow Republicans like to talk about how we have to appeal to the Latino vote if we are going to win back the White House. They speak some Spanish, boast about “telling it like it is,” or counsel to not be afraid to lose the primary to win the general – yet so far have been silent when it comes to denouncing these sad and divisive remarks.The next President of the United States will represent all Americans. We won’t win by dividing Americans against one another and we certainly can’t govern effectively doing so. We must secure the border, save American jobs, and have a leader in the White House world leaders can respect.But we also must have a leader in the White House all Americans can respect, not just some.As Donald Trump doubles down, I’m asking you to join me in standing up. Stand up for our party, for the ideals that made America great, and stand for the basic decency and integrity entitled to every American, no matter their heritage or nationality.Join me. Stand up now. Denounce his comments today.