Hillary Clinton’s team has already seized presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump’s comments about Hispanic Judge Gonzalo Curiel from Friday in a new negative campaign ad.
The ad, however, lets Republicans do the talking.
During his CNN interview on Friday, Trump rejected Jake Tapper’s conclusion that suggesting Curiel could not do his job and fairly preside over his Trump University case because of his race was racist.
“No,” Trump said. “We’re building a wall. He’s Mexican.”
Clinton’s new ad uses media clips and soundbites to let Republicans sound off on their eventual nominee’s controversial remarks.
“How dare he question a judge’s responsibility, a judge’s adherence to the Constitution, because he is of Mexican dissent?” Republican strategist Ana Navarro is shown asking.
“I couldn’t disagree more with a statement like that,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell tells Chuck Todd on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
Even House Speaker Paul Ryan, who last week finally came out and endorsed Trump after weeks of indecision, said he disagrees with the meaning behind the nominee’s latest comment.
You can see why the ad is titled “GOP Disunity.”
Meanwhile, Trump defended his remarks about Curiel on “Fox & Friends” Monday morning, insisting he only made the comments after being provoked by the press.
Trump on Fox says he only hits Curiel b/c press asks him abt it. "The papers pick this up more than...the fact we had anemic jobs report."
— Alexandra Jaffe (@ajjaffe) June 6, 2016