House Speaker Paul Ryan said he personally scolded presumed Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump over his Mexican judge comments during an appearance on “Good Morning America” Friday.
Trump recently alleged Judge Gonzalo Curiel, who was born in Indiana to Mexican parents, was incapable of fairly presiding over the civil fraud lawsuit against Trump University due to his immigration policies.
“I said it publicly and privately. Look, we want to offer the country a clear and compelling choice so that we can earn a mandate from the nation to fix our country’s problems and those kind of comments get in the way of that kind of dialogue we need to have,” he said.
Ryan, who formally endorsed the candidate last week after weeks of hesitation, called the comments “the textbook definition of racism” earlier in the week, but will still plans on voting for the candidate.
The speaker has made it clear he thinks the party will have a better chance of furthering its agenda with Trump in the White House over presumed Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.
“Hopefully this won’t continue. Hopefully the campaign will move in a better direction so it can be one we can all be proud of, but here’s the point. We’ve got two choices, Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump. A republican presidency, a democratic presidency. Seven out of 10 Americans believe that the country is going in the wrong direction.”
Trump has defended his comments, saying they were taken out of context.
“Normally, legal issues in a civil case would be heard in a neutral environment. However, given my unique circumstances as nominee of the Republican Party and the core issues of my campaign that focus on illegal immigration, jobs and unfair trade, I have concerns as to my ability to receive a fair trial,” he said in a statement.
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