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| Donald Trump: Republicans grapple with impact of 'wrecking ball' candidate | Donald Trump: Republicans grapple with impact of 'wrecking ball' candidate |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| The Republican party must reject Donald Trump’s views on immigration as those of a “demagogue” and a “wrecking ball”, a competing candidate for the GOP presidential nomination said on Sunday, or it will face losing “the moral authority to govern”. | The Republican party must reject Donald Trump’s views on immigration as those of a “demagogue” and a “wrecking ball”, a competing candidate for the GOP presidential nomination said on Sunday, or it will face losing “the moral authority to govern”. |
| Related: 'I'm, like, a really smart person': Donald Trump exults in outsider status | Related: 'I'm, like, a really smart person': Donald Trump exults in outsider status |
| On Friday and Saturday Trump, the business mogul who has refused to back down from controversial comments about Mexico and illegal immigrants to the US that have drawn international condemnation and cost him a series of business relationships, spoke to crowds in Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Phoenix. | |
| In Arizona, in an hour-long, extemporised speech to thousands in a convention centre, he said: “This has become a movement. The silent majority is back, and we’re going to take our country back … the word is getting out that we have to stop illegal immigration.” | In Arizona, in an hour-long, extemporised speech to thousands in a convention centre, he said: “This has become a movement. The silent majority is back, and we’re going to take our country back … the word is getting out that we have to stop illegal immigration.” |
| On Sunday, leading Republicans faced further questions about Trump’s remarks and their meaning for the modern Republican party. In close to a month since Trump first made his comments, reaction among GOP presidential candidates has varied, from support expressed by Texas senator Ted Cruz to condemnation from Jeb Bush and Florida senator Marco Rubio. | |
| On Sunday, South Carolina senator Lindsey Graham said: “We have to reject this demagogue. If we don’t we will lose and we will deserve to lose.” | On Sunday, South Carolina senator Lindsey Graham said: “We have to reject this demagogue. If we don’t we will lose and we will deserve to lose.” |
| Graham lags some way behind Trump in polls regarding the 14-strong Republican field – as the first debate, in Cleveland on 6 August, approaches, Trump is maintaining second place behind Bush. Only the top 10 candidates will participate in the first debate. | |
| Appearing on CNN, Graham cited lessons from the party’s defeat by Barack Obama in 2012 and said: “I’m very worried about where we’re headed as a party. I don’t think this is how you get the Latino vote.” | Appearing on CNN, Graham cited lessons from the party’s defeat by Barack Obama in 2012 and said: “I’m very worried about where we’re headed as a party. I don’t think this is how you get the Latino vote.” |
| Graham said if the party did not reject Trump’s ideas on immigration as a whole, “we’ll have lost the moral authority to govern this great nation”. | |
| He added: “After 10 years of working on illegal immigrants, I’ve come to conclude that most illegal immigrants are decent, hardworking people.” | He added: “After 10 years of working on illegal immigrants, I’ve come to conclude that most illegal immigrants are decent, hardworking people.” |
| Trump’s stance had created a “defining moment” for all Republican presidential candidates, Graham said, calling on all of them – as well as Reince Priebus, the chairman of the Republican National Committee who this week called Trump, fruitlessly, to ask him to tone down his rhetoric – to reject his ideas. | Trump’s stance had created a “defining moment” for all Republican presidential candidates, Graham said, calling on all of them – as well as Reince Priebus, the chairman of the Republican National Committee who this week called Trump, fruitlessly, to ask him to tone down his rhetoric – to reject his ideas. |
| During an interview with Fox News on Sunday, Senator Mitch McConnell, the Republican Senate majority leader, declined to pass similar comment. | During an interview with Fox News on Sunday, Senator Mitch McConnell, the Republican Senate majority leader, declined to pass similar comment. |
| “We’ve got a bunch of [presidential candidates]. At the end of the day I think we’re going to have a candidate that can win,” he said. | “We’ve got a bunch of [presidential candidates]. At the end of the day I think we’re going to have a candidate that can win,” he said. |
| Asked if the Senate should consider introducing legislation targeting so-called “sanctuary cities”, where undocumented migrants enjoy greater protections from deportation, McConnell said “we should do”. | Asked if the Senate should consider introducing legislation targeting so-called “sanctuary cities”, where undocumented migrants enjoy greater protections from deportation, McConnell said “we should do”. |
| Following the murder of a 32-year-old woman in San Francisco, allegedly at the hands of an undocumented migrant who had been deported five times, calls for legislation against more than 200 cities in 32 states have mounted. | Following the murder of a 32-year-old woman in San Francisco, allegedly at the hands of an undocumented migrant who had been deported five times, calls for legislation against more than 200 cities in 32 states have mounted. |
| “These are places where they choose to ignore the law [and] should not be receiving federal criminal assistance money,” McConnell said. | “These are places where they choose to ignore the law [and] should not be receiving federal criminal assistance money,” McConnell said. |
| Republican House speaker John Boehner said cities choosing to bypass federal deportation law was “flat out wrong”. | Republican House speaker John Boehner said cities choosing to bypass federal deportation law was “flat out wrong”. |
| “These are laws, they are on the books, they are required to be enforced – there’s no ifs and buts here. And the fact is if some city has decided to ignore the law, it’s wrong,” Boehner told CBS. | |
| Asked if he thought Trump’s stance on immigration was hurting Republicans, Boehner said US voters’ view of Trump did not affect their view of the party as a whole. | Asked if he thought Trump’s stance on immigration was hurting Republicans, Boehner said US voters’ view of Trump did not affect their view of the party as a whole. |
| “I think they think it’s what they think about Donald Trump. Other candidates have much more responsible positions, in my view,” Boehner said. | “I think they think it’s what they think about Donald Trump. Other candidates have much more responsible positions, in my view,” Boehner said. |
| Related: Donald Trump and the Friends of Abe: tycoon brings immigration fight to LA | Related: Donald Trump and the Friends of Abe: tycoon brings immigration fight to LA |
| Another candidate trailing in the polls, Carly Fiorina, appeared on ABC. The former Hewlett-Packard chief executive said Trump “tapped into an anger I hear every day” about the need to secure the US southern border. | |
| “It’s not extreme,” Fiorina added. “It’s common sense.” | “It’s not extreme,” Fiorina added. “It’s common sense.” |
| Graham said he thought some candidates approved of Trump’s comments and considered him vice-presidential material. But, he said: “I think he’s a wrecking ball for the future of the Republican party with the Hispanic community and we need to push back. | |
| “We can’t worry about what Donald Trump might do; we have to focus as a party on what we should do.” | “We can’t worry about what Donald Trump might do; we have to focus as a party on what we should do.” |
| The Democratic frontrunner, Hillary Clinton, also spoke to CNN. Asked about Trump, she said: “I’m very disappointed in those comments. I feel very bad and very disappointed with him and with the Republican party for not responding immediately and saying: ‘Enough, stop it.’ | The Democratic frontrunner, Hillary Clinton, also spoke to CNN. Asked about Trump, she said: “I’m very disappointed in those comments. I feel very bad and very disappointed with him and with the Republican party for not responding immediately and saying: ‘Enough, stop it.’ |
| “But you know they are all in the same general area on immigration. They don’t want to provide a path to citizenship. They range across a spectrum of being either grudgingly welcome or hostile towards immigrants, and I’m going to talk about comprehensive immigration reform.” | “But you know they are all in the same general area on immigration. They don’t want to provide a path to citizenship. They range across a spectrum of being either grudgingly welcome or hostile towards immigrants, and I’m going to talk about comprehensive immigration reform.” |