Donald Trump’s comments about the heritage of a federal judge were not about the heritage of a federal judge, said RNC chief strategist Sean Spicer.
In an interview with CNN on Friday, Spicer repeatedly noted a statement from Trump that the presumptive GOP nominee’s race-based criticism of the judge wasn’t about the judge’s ethnicity.
“I think Donald Trump addressed that on Tuesday and put out a statement, talking about the fact that it wasn’t addressing the judge’s heritage and moved on from that and I think the speaker obviously had a problem with the rhetoric he used,” Spicer told CNN in response to a question about House Speaker Paul Ryan’s reaction to Trump. “Mr. Trump addressed it. Talked about the fact that he was not trying to attack the judge’s heritage.”
Earlier this month, Trump told CNN that the presiding judge in a lawsuit regarding Trump University was biased because of his Mexican heritage.
“I’m building a wall. I’m trying to keep business out of Mexico,” Trump said. “He’s of Mexican heritage and he’s very proud of it.”
Trump told CNN that he did not think saying the judge was biased because of his ethnicity amounted to a racist remark. Spicer, similar to other Republicans, did not condone Trump’s racial invective.
“You do not think those remarks were racist?” asked CNN’s Kate Bolduan.
“No, I think Mr. Trump’s comments speak for themselves in the sense that on Tuesday he was very clear that he was not trying to speak to the judge’s heritage,” Spicer answered. “So I’m going to take Mr. Trump at his word.”
When CNN pressed the matter more, Spicer appeared to rhetorically distance himself from Trump and said he did not want to “re-litigate” the past.
“You are comfortable with your nominee backing and embracing a nominee that people in your own party say is engaging in racist commentary?” Bolduan asked.
“No, no, I’m not,” Spicer said. “I guess my point is that the concerns were addressed to Mr. Trump, saying the way this is coming off appears to have these connotations. Mr. Trump on Tuesday addressed that and said, I’m not intending to do that. I understand that. I’m going to take him at his word.”
Spicer continued, “I’m not saying by any means that we’re comfortable with the attack — the way they were come out. But when brought to his attention he clarified what he meant.”
The RNC’s communications director also insisted that, “we’re going to be unified” when the GOP convention kicks off in Cleveland. The convention begins in little more than one month, on July 18.
