WASHINGTON (TheBlaze/AP) -- House Speaker Paul Ryan says Donald Trump's comment on judge Gonzalo Curiel, an American born in Indiana of Mexican heritage, is the "textbook definition of a racist comment."
"Claiming a person can't do their job because of their race is sort of like the textbook definition of a racist comment," Ryan said at a Washington, D.C., press conference on Tuesday. "I think that should be absolutely disavowed. It's absolutely unacceptable."
But Ryan went on to say that just because he disagrees with Trump's comments doesn't mean he is withdrawing his support for the presumptive Republican nominee.
"I believe we have more in common on the policy issues of the day and we have more likelihood of getting our policies enacted with him than we do with [Hillary Clinton]," Ryan added.
Paul Ryan: Donald Trump's judge comment is "the textbook definition of a racist comment" https://t.co/cuR3m6t5qm https://t.co/3TwAdeyk9U
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) June 7, 2016
Meanwhile, CNN commentator and Trump supporter Jeffrey Lord retaliated by calling Ryan's comments "racist."
"Speaker Ryan has apparently switched positions and is now supporting identity politics, which is racist," Lord said.
On CNN, Jeffrey Lord accuses Paul Ryan of being racist for calling out Trump’s racist comments about judge: pic.twitter.com/at56k1IJdj
— Michael Calderone (@mlcalderone) June 7, 2016
Jessica Mackler, president of the progressive organization American Bridge, also responded to Ryan's comments, saying that she will "never understand how [he] can both acknowledge Trump is racist and still support him."
"It's been clear for a lot longer than this weekend that Trump is racist but the fact that Republicans are explicitly and openly supporting a racist tells you everything you need to know about the Republican Party," Mackler said.
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