Donald Trump, with his inflammatory and unapologetic remarks about illegal immigrants, is the equivalent of George Wallace minus the "charm" of the former Alabama governor and rabid segregationist, actor author and former White House speechwriter Ben Stein tells
Newsmax TV.
Trump — now in a dead heat with Jeb Bush among self-identified Republicans, according to a
Reuters-Ipsos poll — is "a loose cannon" who is "extremely dangerous" to the Republican Party, Stein said Monday on "The Steve Malzberg Show."
"He does capture a lot of the anger and frustration that the ordinary citizen feels. He is kind of like this generation's George Wallace except without George Wallace's charm.
"But I cannot see him doing anything but damage to the Republican Party and I wish he would just take his marbles and go home."
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Wallace, a four-time governor of Alabama and three-time presidential hopeful, was infamously known for his segregationist politics and notoriously ended his inaugural speech with the line: "Segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever."
In his campaign launch for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination last month, Trump sparked a furor by saying Mexico is "not sending their best" to America. "They're sending people that have lots of problems, and they're bringing those problems with us.... They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They're rapists. And some, I assume, are good people."
While a number of Trump's business associates cut ties with him — including NBC, Univision, Macy's and the PGA — the billionaire developer's poll numbers skyrocketed.
In the new poll, Trump — who hosted the hit TV show "The Apprentice" — scored 15.8 percent compared to 16.1 percent for Bush, the former Florida governor.
Stein, who was a speechwriter for Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford, said he is unimpressed with Trump in general.
"I don't think he's really sophisticated enough to lead a great power. His solutions are rather crude and brought rage," Stein said.
"By in large, [the immigrants are] a very hard working asset for this country and I don't think the general idea of whipping up anger … is a good idea. I give him credit for his astounding amount of self-confidence — but he's a loose cannon.
"He's not going to do any good for the Republican Party at all. We have a real chance of getting a Republican who's a well-regarded guy. Jeb Bush, Lindsey Graham but I don't at all see Donald Trump as the guy for us."
Stein, who's appeared in such films as "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" and "Honeymoon in Vegas," also weighed in on Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, who on Monday jumped into the crowded pool of candidates vying to capture the GOP presidential nomination.
"[He's a] very, very capable man, a brave man, resolute man, thoughtful man, excellent administrator, fearless. I don't consider him a particularly great orator.... It's a pretty big factor but as a human being he's very, very high up.
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