'Offensive and inaccurate': Marco Rubio rejects Donald Trump's Mexico remarks

[umbertino]

Trump fires back at fellow Republican candidate, calling him ‘very weak on immigration’ as Venezuelan president says business mogul is ‘mentally ill’

 

 

Martin Pengelly in New York

 

Saturday 4 July 2015 19.38 BST

 

 

 

As controversy over his remarks about Mexican immigrants to the US continued to attract international condemnation and damage his commercial relationships, the White House hopeful Donald Trump drew heavy fire from Marco Rubio, a Hispanic member of the 14-strong GOP presidential field.

 

On Friday, Rubio released a strongly worded statement which said: “Trump’s comments are not just offensive and inaccurate, but also divisive.”

 

At the launch of his presidential campaign two weeks ago, Trump said: “[Mexico is] sending people that have lots of problems, and they are bringing those problems to us. They are bringing drugs, and bringing crime, and their rapists.”

 

The government of Mexico called the comments “prejudiced” and “absurd”; the Venezuelan president, Nicolás Maduro, said Trump was “mentally ill”.

 

Hispanic leaders in the US called on Republicans to condemn Trump’s remarks. Many candidates have been cautious and relatively mild. The former Florida governor Jeb Bush, the frontrunner whose wife was born in Mexico and who speaks fluent Spanish, said Trump was “wrong” and added: “Maybe we’ll have a chance to have an honest discussion about it onstage.”

 

Trump, running second in some polls, is on course to appear onstage in the first Republican debate, which will be hosted in Cleveland by Fox on 6 August. Only the top 10 in the currently 14-strong GOP field will be allowed to participate.

 

Rubio’s statement continued: “Our next president needs to be someone who brings Americans together – not someone who continues to divide. Our broken immigration system is something that needs to be solved, and comments like this move us further from – not closer to – a solution. We need leaders who offer serious solutions to secure our border and fix our broken immigration system.”

 

On Saturday, speaking on the Fox & Friends morning show, Trump attacked Rubio for being “very weak on immigration”. He also said the former New York governor George Pataki, who has criticised his remarks, was “a sad figure” and “a terrible governor of New York” who had “zero numbers in the polls”.

 

Trump said he “respected” the Texas senator Ted Cruz, who has defended his remarks on immigration.

 

On Friday, Trump lost the support of another US institution when the chairman of Nascar said the auto-racing series would not host its season-end awards at his Trump National Doral resort in Miami.

 

TV networks Univision and NBC and department store Macy’s have said they will cut commercial ties with Trump.

 

In response, Trump has imposed a ban on Miami-based Univision executives using the golf course at his Doral resort, and filed a $500m lawsuit over the network’s withdrawal of support for the Miss USA beauty pageant, in which he holds a stake.

 

He has also clashed with the actress America Ferrera, who posted an open letter on huffingtonpost.com in which she wrote: “What you just did with your straight talk was send more Latino voters to the polls than several registration rallies combined! Thank you for that.”

In response, via Twitter, Trump said: “Thank you America Ferrara for supporting lawless criminals from Mexico.”

 

On Fox on Saturday, Trump said: “This isn’t good for my brand. I think it’s bad for my brand. Maybe I’m leading in polls, but this is certainly not good. I lose customers, I lose people.”

 

He added: “I had one of the top shows on television, The Apprentice, and I decided not to do it because I wanted to do this. Who gives up a top, top show?

 

“Plus, I gave up hundreds of millions of dollars of deals because I’m doing this. And then you hear about Nascar, and NBC, and you hear about different people who drop Trump because Trump wants safety.”

 

On Friday, Nascar spokesman David Higdon said: “We looked at everything we saw coming down and what we heard from our sponsors and our partners and what we feel we should be doing, and that’s what led us to the decision today.”

 

Marcus Lemonis, chief executive of one such sponsor, Camping World, released a letter which said: “Due to recent and ongoing blatantly bigoted and racist comments from Donald Trump in regards to immigrants of the United States, I would like to inform you that I will not, nor will any representative of Camping World, participate or attend in the ceremonial event if it is held at any Trump property.”

 

Undaunted, Trump doubled – or possibly tripled or quadrupled – down on his controversial comments, telling Fox News the shooting dead of a 32-year-old woman by an illegal immigrant with an extensive arrest record in San Francisco was “yet another example of why we must secure our border immediately”.

 

“This is an absolutely disgraceful situation and I am the only one that can fix it. Nobody else has the guts to even talk about it,” he said.

 

 

 

 

Donald Trump is facing backlash from a variety of sources over his comments on immigration.

Photograph: Jim Cole/AP

 

 

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/jul/04/donald-trump-marco-rubio-mexico-immigrants

 

[chess]

THE TRUTH IS HARD TO FACE....

 

TRUTH IS STRANGER THAN FICTION....

 

THE TRUTH SHALL SET YOU FREE.......................................................EVEN MEXICANS!!

[cottn68]

You got that right chess!!

Personally, I'm enjoying the crap out of watching all the cowardly rats running around screaming foul. The fact that the Don actually has a plan, and would undoubtedly put it into action, sure has the PC crowd and all the rest of the oxygen thieves throwing a hissy fit...LMAO!!!

He's probably already having blueprints drawn up, whilst the other morons are talking about talking about it.... blowhards!!!

[Jaxinjersey]

Yep... liked Rubio.... but he just lost any chance for my vote.  Always liked the Donald... and he's looking better and better every day!

[SnowGlobe7]

Hummmm I am liking the Donald more and more as well

[Synopsis]

I may have missed something, but from what I saw of Donald Trump's comments, I did not see anything slanderous, libelous, or anything outside of the pale of the 1st Amendment right to free speech regarding persons who cross the border into the US illegally.  Statistics seem to back the statements Mr. Trump made for which he is now receiving criticism.  This country is mostly a country of immigrants and descendants of immigrants from numerous racial and ethnic backgrounds who immigrated legally according to the US Immigration Policies in effect at the time.  So what has changed?  Political Correctness now supersedes US Law and Rule of Law?  If someone is in the US illegally and thereby breaking the law, what says they will not disregard other US laws?  Or cause me or my loved ones harm?

 

It is a sad day to see someone being ostracized for simply exercising their rights and stating verifiable facts.

 

I suspect any compromises in US Sovereignty over US Territories via US Laws and Rule Of Law will only lead to greater internal problems and compromise our ability to exercise prudent foreign policies

[chess]

.....a few +'s Synopsis!!..............................................

[Synopsis]

Thanks, Chess!

[Shabibilicious]

The Donald is getting more liberal everyday..........insult somebody and sue them when they react.      Nothing conservative about the comb-over.    

 

GO RV, then BV

[Jim1cor13]

Rubio was never a contender in my opinion. When one pays attention to the

actions and background posturing, they all play politics and I think this country

has had its fill of that, but some appear to enjoy the division.

 

Trump has merit, but so far to me, it is business as usual while they all say what

most want to hear. Don't ignore this fact, and do not cast any vote just because

they say what you want to hear. No one holds them to their word, and then we have

to read all the whining after one is voted on. If they were to know going in, if they fail

to uphold their campaign promises, then they will be held accountable and face impeachment,

it would be a start in my opinion, but that will likely never happen, and the voting game continues

along with the useless division that has done enough damage. If there is no way to hold

these posers accountable, they will get no vote on my end, they will just continue to

settle in and keep up appearances as we have seen for decades.

Edited July 6, 2015 by Jim1cor13

[geman]

The Donald is getting more liberal everyday..........insult somebody and sue them when they react.      Nothing conservative about the comb-over.    

 

GO RV, then BV

It's business with the lawsuit, And insult???  We deal with that daily with O 

[Shabibilicious]

It's business with the lawsuit, And insult???  We deal with that daily with O 

 

Chose to take the high road on his hair-do, eh?    

 

GO RV, then BV

[geman]

Chose to take the high road on his hair-do, eh?    

 

GO RV, then BV

:lol:

[new york kevin]

I recall that in his original announcement he never referenced Mexican Immigrants, just the illegal Mexicans. Specifically stating that 20-30% of the "illegal immigrants" were criminals released from over crowded Mexican jails that the Mexican gov directed towards the porous boarder. Also that the remaining majority were hard working people that just wanted to work hard and make a better life for their family. The latter fits in perfectly well with the American Dream.

First we should secure the boarder if only to prevent ISIS/Al Qaeda militants from taking advantage of the porous boarder, via the drug cartels smuggling routes, and invading the U.S. To kill more of our innocent people. Secondly, we should place all formally illegal immigrants at that point, in the line (on the path to ... it's all the same) to become U.S. Citizens, after fining them $12,000 a piece. Require them at that point to meet the goals and standards of all immigrants that legally immigrate to the U.S. In other words, treat them exactly the same as we treat all immigrants. Thirdly, we should then allow all appropriate Federal Agencies to do their flicking jobs without fear of reprisals, for doing their job of enforcing the laws that government already has on the books. Including requiring all employers in the U.S. to use E-verify at that point forward.