Ryan: I personally reprimanded Trump over judge remarks

Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) said Friday he personally spoke with Donald Trump to reprimand him over the controversial comments he made about a U.S. district court judge.

{mosads}”I have … and I have explained to him exactly what I thought about that comment,” Ryan said on “Good Morning America” Friday.

“This is something that needed to be condemned. That comment is beyond the pale. That is not political correctness, suggesting that a person cannot do their job because of their race or ethnicity. That is not a politically incorrect thing to do, that’s just a wrong thing to say,” Ryan said. 

A spokesperson for Ryan’s office said that Trump had called the Speaker.

Trump, the presumptive GOP presidential nominee, has argued that Judge Gonzalo Curiel, who is overseeing lawsuits against Trump University, cannot do so fairly because of his Mexican heritage. Trump said his promise to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border makes it “an absolute conflict” for Curiel, who was born in Indiana though his parents are from Mexico. 

Ryan, who formally endorsed Trump last week, condemned the presumptive nominee’s comments Tuesday, calling it “the textbook definition of a racist comment.” 

Trump hasn’t backed down or apologized for his remarks, though fellow Republicans like Ryan have publicly balked at the comments. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) encouraged Republicans to rethink their support of Trump. 

Trump has said that his remarks were misconstrued.

Ryan on Friday said Trump’s comments distract from the real issues facing the country ahead of the general election. 

“We want to offer the country a clear and compelling choice so that we can earn a mandate from the nation to fix our country’s problems, and those kinds of comments get in the way of that kind of dialogue we need to have,” Ryan said. 

“That’s why I did that. That’s why I spoke out against it, and it won’t be the last time if this continues. Hopefully, this won’t continue. Hopefully, the campaign will move in a better direction so it will be one that we can be proud of.” 

This story was last updated at 9:35 p.m.