WASHINGTON: Less than 24 hours after he announced his endorsement of Donald Trump, Speaker Paul D. Ryan spoke out against another of Trump’s comments he disagrees with — this time, Trump’s decision to attack a judge for his Hispanic heritage.
“The comment about the judge the other day just was out of left field from my mind,” Ryan said in an interview on a Milwaukee radio program. “It’s reasoning I don’t relate to. I completely disagree with the thinking behind that.”
Last week Trump attacked U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel, who is presiding over a civil suit that accuses the now defunct Trump University of fraud, as a “hater” who is biased against him.
“We’re in front of a very hostile judge,” Trump said at a May 27 rally in San Diego. “The judge was appointed by Barack Obama, federal judge. Frankly, he should recuse himself because he’s given us ruling after ruling after ruling, negative, negative, negative.”
Then on Thursday, Trump said in an interview with the Wall Street Journal that Curiel had “an absolute conflict” in presiding over the case because he is “of Mexican heritage.” Curiel’s parents were Mexican immigrants but he was born in Indiana.
“I’m building a wall. It’s an inherent conflict of interest,” Trump said, referring to his plan to build a wall along the southern U.S. border.
Ryan said that Trump “clearly says and does things I don’t agree with” and that he’s felt obliged at times to speak up in some of those instances and will continue to do so as necessary.
The speaker first spoke out against Trump when he said earlier this year that his immigration policy would include a ban on Muslims entering the country. Ryan decried that comment as “not conservatism.” Other instances in which Ryan has spoken up against Trump were when the billionaire mogul hesitated to distance himself from white supremacist leader David Duke and when he condoned acts of violence occurring at his rallies.
Meanwhile, as Trump sought to demonstrate his support among African-Americans, he singled out a black supporter at a Friday rally in Redding, Calif., saying, “Look at my African-American over here!”
The presumptive Republican presidential nominee was in the middle of describing a past campaign event, at which he said a black supporter “slugged” protesters who were dressed in a “Ku Klux Klan outfit.”
“I want to find out what’s going on with him,” Trump said of the supporter at the previous rally. He then appeared to spot a black person at Friday’s event.
“Oh, look at my African-American over here,” an excited Trump said, while pointing into the crowd. “Look at him. Are you the greatest? You know what I’m talking about? OK!”
Trump spent much of the Redding rally bashing Democrat Hillary Clinton.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.