On Tuesday, Donald Trump responded to critics on both the left and right who have called his comments about Mexican-American judge Gonzalo Curiel "racist." In a statement, Trump said, "It is unfortunate that my comments have been misconstrued as a categorical attack against people of Mexican heritage," adding that he is "friends with and employ[s] thousands of people of Mexican and Hispanic descent."
However, Trump maintained that he is justified in questioning if Curiel, who is presiding over a fraud case concerning Trump University, can give him a fair trial.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
The history of Guantanamo Bay detention campThe Explainer Trump wants to use the Cuban outpost as a deportation way station
-
Critics’ choice: Fine dining worth stepping up toFeature Celebrity chefs share a kitchen, a ‘spa-like’ lounge, and more
-
7 new and long-established musicals to see on tour this springThe Week Recommends Even 'Les Misérables' is back on the road
-
Trump pauses $175M for Penn over trans athleteSpeed Read The president is withholding federal funds from the University of Pennsylvania because it once allowed a transgender swimmer to compete
-
Trump purports to 'void' Biden pardonsSpeed Read Joe Biden's pardons of Jan. 6 committee members are not valid because they were done by autopen, says Trump
-
White House ignores judicial deportation blocksSpeed Read The Trump administration deports alleged Venezuelan gang members under a wartime law, defying a court order
-
Schumer: Democrats will help pass spending billSpeed Read The Democrats end the threat of government shutdown
-
Trump pulls nomination of anti-vax CDC pickSpeed Read Former Florida congressmen Dr. Dave Weldon was nominated to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
-
Judges tell Trump to rehire fired federal workersSpeed Read Trump and Elon Musk's DOGE team face a big setback in their efforts to shrink the federal workforce
-
Trump trade war heats up as Canada, EU retaliateSpeed Read The president imposes 25% steel and aluminum tariffs in an effort to revive US manufacturing, though it may drive up prices for Americans instead
-
Trump hawks Teslas, slashes more federal jobsSpeed Read The Education Department cut its workforce in half ahead of an expected Trump order to shutter the agency
