Newt Gingrich calls remarks about judge 'one of the worst mistakes Trump's made'

Newt Gingrich.
(Image credit: NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP/Getty Images)

Newt Gingrich is one of Donald Trump's closest advisers and supporters, but on Sunday, he called comments the presumptive Republican nominee made about the judge presiding over his Trump University civil fraud case "inexcusable."

"It was one of the worst mistakes Trump has made," the former GOP House speaker said on Fox News Sunday. Trump has repeatedly said that Judge Gonzalo Curiel, who was born in Indiana to immigrants parents from Mexico, is biased against him because Trump has vowed to build a wall between the United States and its southern neighbor. "That judge is not a Mexican," Gingrich said. "He's an American. I hope it was sloppiness."

It wasn't an entirely negative interview — Gingrich also showered Trump with praise, saying he is "amazed at his speed, how fast he learns. He's a remarkable leader. We have a very good relationship."

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.