Trump to surrogates: Don’t back down from criticizing judge, journalists

Donald Trump urged his supporters during a Monday conference call to defend his controversial accusation that a federal judge is unfit to rule in a Trump University fraud case because of his Hispanic heritage, Bloomberg reported. 

{mosads}Trump was defiant, despite the rash of criticism he’s faced from Republicans and Democrats alike, according to a description of the call given to Bloomberg by two supporters who participated. 

“We will overcome,” Trump said. “And I’ve always won and I’m going to continue to win. And that’s the way it is.”

He went on to declare that his surrogates should specifically target journalists who are bringing up the issue. 

“The people asking the questions — those are the racists,” Trump added. “I would go at ’em.”

When former Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer, a Trump supporter, told the presumptive GOP presidential nominee that the campaign’s surrogate handler specifically emailed about steering clear of the controversy, Trump bristled. 

“Take that order and throw it the hell out,” he said, repeatedly demanding to know who sent the memo, Bloomberg reported. When told the memo was sent by Erica Freeman, a staffer who sends information to surrogates, Trump said he didn’t know her, Bloomberg reported.

“Are there any other stupid letters that were sent to you folks? … That’s one of the reasons I want to have this call, because you guys are getting sometimes stupid information from people that aren’t so smart.”

Trump has repeatedly questioned Judge Gonzalo Curiel, arguing that his Mexican heritage makes him biased in the case because of Trump’s plan to build a wall along the Mexican border. 

Instead of walking that back, he doubled down over the weekend, floating the prospect that a Muslim judge might be similarly biased against him and unfit to preside in a case he’s involved in. 

The controversy has prompted a strong rebuke from Republicans such as House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), while Democrats have seized on the words as an opportunity to cast Trump as a racist who is indefensible.