While Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump is making some legitimate points on immigration, he is doing so while appealing to the "radical fringe," former Democratic New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson told Newsmax TV on Thursday.
Trump is trying to attract African American and Hispanic voters, but is going about it in the wrong way by closing the borders and wanting to keep out Muslims, Richardson, who is Hispanic, said Thursday on "The Steve Malzberg Show."
"This is not America," he said. "I take great objection to that."
Trump's call for a border wall, deporting 11 million illegal immigrants and imposing a moratorium on Muslim immigration appeals to "a very radical fringe," Richardson said, adding it is a vote he already has, "a vote of intensive anger that he's tapped into, but I think what needs to happen is you need solutions. He never proposes solutions."
Trump just makes accusations, Richardson said. "This is what I object to."
See Steve Malzberg on Newsmax TV: Tune in beginning at 7 PM EDT to see "The Steve Malzberg Show" – on FiOS 115, YouTube Livestream, Newsmax TV App from any smartphone, NewsmaxTV.com, Roku, Amazon Fire – More Systems Here
Richardson pointed to Trump's recent hiring of Breitbart News chief Steve Bannon as campaign CEO as a part of what he called an appeal to the fringe.
"It's a radical fringe within the Republican Party that he's appealing to that I think is leading to this campaign becoming so negative," he said. "What is needed in these debates that hopefully the issues on the economy and national security they have to happen. This dialogue is not working."
Trump this week announced a "softening" of his deportation call, saying he would work within existing laws and would focus on those who have committed crimes. He also has adjusted his Muslim ban to focus on countries with known terrorist ties.
Richardson also said Trump's appeal to minorities is not working.
"He says basically your schools are terrible," Richardson said. "He degrades them. He basically says you walk into a neighborhood and you'll get shot. That is just not the case."
Richardson was the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations during the Bill Clinton administration, and defended the payment of $400 million to Iran at the same time the country released four Americans.
"I don't think it was ransom. It was leverage," he said. "I've been in these negotiations. There are so many issues, especially with a country like Iran. So many disagreements, and this was an opportunity I think this was an old deal negotiated with $1.7 billion worth of weapons and the ability to use the leverage paying a part of it which the Justice Department supported."
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.