Donald Trump said he doesn’t regret retweeting a racially charged remark about fellow 2016 candidate Jeb Bush’s wife, in a sit-down interview with CNN Wednesday.
Although Trump said he didn’t authorize retweeting the message — “#JebBush has to like the Mexican illegals because of his wife” — he doesn’t regret sending the message, saying he believes Columba Bush’s Mexican heritage influences his stance on immigration.
“No, I don’t regret it,” Trump told Anderson Cooper. “If my wife were from Mexico, I think I would have a soft spot for people from Mexico. … I’ve heard she’s a lovely woman, by the way.”
Trump also responded to a Washington Post report earlier this week that despite his remarks that immigrants entering the U.S. illegally are ruining the country, there are undocumented workers on the construction site of Trump’s new luxury hotel in DC.
Trump said he only wished the Post had named names so that he could fire any undocumented workers.
“I wish they would give us some names, we would get them out immediately,” he said.
Although he shifted some blame on the project’s contractor for hiring the workers on site, Trump said the buck “absolutely” stops with him and that he “can’t guarantee” all workers on his projects have legal immigration status.
The full interview airs tonight on CNN at 8 p.m. EDT.
Watch the full clip over at CNN.
