Donald Trump suggests a Muslim judge might 'absolutely' treat him unfairly, too

Donald Trump on &quot;Face the Nation,&quot; talking judicial bias

(Image credit: Face the Nation/YouTube)

published 6 June 2016

Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has been widely criticized over his contention that U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel is biased against him and should be kicked off the Trump University fraud case because of his "Mexican heritage" and the fact that Trump wants to build a border wall with Mexico. On Sunday's Face the Nation, CBS's John Dickerson asked Trump if, given his proposal to ban Muslims from entering the U.S., "if it were a Muslim judge, would you also feel like they wouldn't be able to treat you fairly because of that policy of yours?"

"It's possible, yes," Trump said. "Yeah. That would be possible. Absolutely." Dickerson asked about the tradition in the U.S. "that we don't judge people by who their parents were and where they came from," and Trump responded, "I'm not talking about tradition, I'm talking about common sense, okay?"

Some Republicans are starting to get nervous about Trump making what longtime GOP strategist Rick Wilson called "overtly racist" and unconstitutional comments. Wilson, who is not a fan of Trump, told The Washington Post on Sunday that Trump's attacks on Curiel are "mortifying," adding, "For everyone who cries wolf on racism — and there are a lot of them on the other side — they are now validated forever." Newt Gingrich, a close Trump adviser, made similar comments on Sunday, calling Trump's comments on Curiel "one of the worst mistakes Trump has made," and noting, "If a liberal were to attack Justice Clarence Thomas on the grounds that he's black, we would all go crazy."

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.