Donald Trump is an "upstanding guy" personally, but got "ungentlemanly" when talking about illegal immigrants on the campaign trail, says Kiss frontman Gene Simmons.
"He is smarter than that, he is better than that," Simmons said Wednesday on
"CNN Tonight."
Simmons, a former contestant on Trump's "Celebrity Apprentice," told host Don Lemon that he came to America legally from Israel with his mother when he was 8 years old. He said he understands people become afraid when millions of immigrants enter the country illegally, but added that sometimes that fear can turn to hate with some people.
"They are afraid, what's happening to America, the borders are unguarded. I get it," Simmons said. "Fear creates all kinds of havoc. Sometimes it creates hate. And when you're talking about 10 to 20 million illegal immigrants, I don't care where they come from, Sweden or anywhere else, you start to talk about the border."
Simmons said he is convinced Trump's candidacy is serious.
"He is in it to win it every time, with anything he does," he said. "That's what makes him fascinating and perhaps that's what resonates with people."
Simmons hedged on whether he supports Trump's presidential bid, but sounded more like a supporter of Democrat Hillary Clinton, whom he described as more moderate.
He supported Republican Mitt Romney in 2012.
He suggested a one-on-one contest where Trump and Clinton could "have at it" and let the public cast their votes.
And he expressed surprise that anyone would even ask him about the politics.
"I suspect the end of the world is coming soon because when CNN wants to know what Gene Simmons thinks about one of the presidential candidates, next thing you know people will be asking Jeb Bush what he thinks about Led Zeppelin," he said.
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