Presidential hopeful Donald Trump hasn’t been making many friends among his Republican Party peers due to his recent remarks on immigration, but former Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer said the real estate mogul was merely being honest.
“I believe that Mr. Trump is kind of telling it like it really, truly is,” Ms. Brewer told CNN’s Don Lemon during a Wednesday night interview. “I think that the people of Arizona realize that we picked up the tab for the majority of the violence that comes across our border.”
Ms. Brewer, who advocated heavily against President Obama’s actions on immigration while in office, was weighing in on comments Mr. Trump made last month about Mexicans during the address in which he announced that he’d be pursuing the GOP presidential nomination.
“They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists,” Mr. Trump said. “And some, I assume, are good people.”
Mr. Trump has taken heat in the weeks since from the press and public alike for his remarks, which have also managed to also become fodder for some of his fellow Republican nominee hopefuls. Over the weekend, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush said Mr. Trump “doesn’t represent the Republican Party or its values,” and former Texas Gov. Rick Perry called the comments “offensive.”
Sen. Marco Rubio, Florida Republican, added that the remarks were “not just offensive and inaccurate, but also divisive.”
Mr. Trump released a statement earlier this week to clarify his intentions, but not before several corporations cut ties with the billionaire.
Despite the backlash, three separate polls released this week placed Mr. Trump in the top spot among GOP candidates.
• Andrew Blake can be reached at ablake@washingtontimes.com.
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