The latest from the Associated Press:
Trump said in a lengthy statement Tuesday afternoon that "it is unfortunate" his comments "have been misconstrued as a categorical attack against people of Mexican heritage."
Trump has complained repeatedly that federal Judge Gonzalo Curiel is biased against him and cited his Mexican heritage. Curiel was born in the U.S.
His comments have sparked a backlash among members of the Republican Party, House Speaker Paul Ryan saying Tuesday that they are "the textbook definition of racist comments."
Trump said in his statement, "I do not feel that one's heritage makes them incapable of being impartial," but said that he feels justified to question whether he is receiving a fair trial based on the ruling.
The key line in Trump's statement, which we provide below: "I do not intend to comment on this matter any further."
U.S. Sen. David Perdue, R-Ga., who prominently donned a red Trump baseball cap and endorsed Trump at last weekend's state GOP convention, has called on Trump to apologize. This, too, might have more to do with Trump's recasting of his comments. From the Associated Press:
This is a reversal for Kirk, one of the more endangered GOP incumbents, who had said recently he would support Trump.
In a statement Tuesday, Kirk said that Trump's "belief that an American-born judge of Mexican descent is incapable of fairly presiding over his case is not only dead wrong, it is un-American."
Kirk said he was hoping the rhetoric would tone down. Instead, Trump's comments along with past attacks on Hispanics, women and "the disabled like me, make it certain that I cannot and will not support my party's nominee" regardless of the impact on his own candidacy.
The senator added that he has concluded Trump is not fit to be commander-in-chief and oversee thousands of nuclear weapons.
The lenthy Trump press release contains plenty of details on Trump U., but does little to address the presumptive nominee's repeated comments about the Indiana-born Judge Curiel. A reminder, from last week's Wall Street Journal:
In an interview, Mr. Trump said U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel had "an absolute conflict" in presiding over the litigation given that he was "of Mexican heritage" and a member of a Latino lawyers' association. Mr. Trump said the background of the judge, who was born in Indiana to Mexican immigrants, was relevant because of his campaign stance against illegal immigration and his pledge to seal the southern U.S. border. "I'm building a wall. It's an inherent conflict of interest," Mr. Trump said.
Here’s the Trump press release in its entirety:
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