GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump hit back at rivals Jeb Bush and Rick Perry on Sunday after both men said Trump's words about illegal Mexican immigrants do not reflect the views of the Republican party.
"I do not agree with his words," Bush, speaking in Spanish, said during a Nevada campaign event,"
MSNBC.com reported. "They do not represent the values of the Republican Party and they do not represent my values."
Bush's wife is Mexican and his children are Mexican-American.
Perry, appearing on ABC's
"This Week" on Sunday said, "Donald Trump does not represent the Republican party. I was offended by his remarks. Listen, Hispanics in America, and Hispanics in Texas, from the Alamo to Afghanistan, have been extraordinary people, citizens of our country and our state, and they have served nobly. To paint with that broad a brush that Donald Trump did — he’s going to have to defend those remarks. I never will."
At issue is Trump's campaign kickoff speech from June 16 in which he said, "When Mexico sends its people, they're not sending their best. They're sending people that have lots of problems ... they're bringing drugs, they're bringing crime. They're rapists. And some, I assume, are good people."
"Today, Jeb Bush once again proves that he is out of touch with the American people," Trump said in response to Bush's words. "… he doesn’t understand anything about the border or border security. In fact, Jeb believes illegal immigrants who break our laws when they cross our border come 'out of love.'"
"As everybody knows, I never said that all Mexicans crossing the border are rapists," Trump said. "Jeb is mischaracterizing my statements only to inflame."
Trump has skyrocketed to second in the polls behind Bush, but has faced business backlash from Univision and NBC, which dropped his Miss Universe and Miss USA beauty pageants, to Macy's, which dropped his clothing line. He has repeatedly said he did not intend to impugn all Mexicans, and that he was actually talking about people from various countries who cross into the United States illegally across the Mexican border.
He said in his Sunday statement that "Jeb will never be able to secure our border, negotiate good trade deals, strengthen our military or care for our veterans. The biggest difference between Jeb and me on the border is that I believe in securing our border by building a wall, which will protect our safety, economy and national security. This is a vital to step in Make America Great Again!"
Trump also took to
Twitter, as he often does, to rip both Bush and former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, his only other White House rival to challenge him on his immigration quote.
Trump's Sunday tweets included:
Trump has skyrocketed to second in the polls behind Bush, but has faced business backlash from Univision and NBC, which dropped his Miss Universe and Miss USA beauty pageants, to Macy's, which dropped his clothing line. He has repeatedly said he did not intend to impugn all Mexicans, and that he was actually talking about people from various countries who cross into the United States illegally across the Mexican border.
He said in his Sunday statement that "Jeb will never be able to secure our border, negotiate good trade deals, strengthen our military or care for our veterans. The biggest difference between Jeb and me on the border is that I believe in securing our border by building a wall, which will protect our safety, economy and national security. This is a vital to step in Make America Great Again!"
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