News / Politics

Trump says calling Mexican immigrants rapists was 'peanuts'

Friday, 03 August 2018 1:29 AM [ Last Update: Friday, 03 August 2018 12:25 PM ]

US President Donald Trump singles out the media during his rally on August 2, 2018 at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza in Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania. (AFP photo)

US President Donald Trump has railed against Mexican immigrants and doubled down on comments he made calling them “rapists.”

“And you remember what I said?” Trump asked the crowd during a rally on Thursday night in Pennsylvania, referring back to the derogatory comments he made about Mexican immigrants during the 2016 election campaign.

“They’re sending, I mentioned words – I won’t even mention them tonight because there’s a lot of young people here — but I mentioned words and everyone thought it was wonderful.”

“And then about two days later and people said, ‘did he say this, did he say that?’” Trump said.

“Guess what,” he added, “what I said is peanuts compared to what turns out to be the truth. It’s peanuts.”

During his campaign for presidency, Trump had repeatedly pledged to build a wall along the Southern border to prevent more Mexicans from entering the US illegally, and had promised to have Mexico cover the cost of the construction of his proposed wall.

PressTV-Mexicans protest Trump’s anti-immigration policies

People in Mexico protest in front of the US Embassy against US President Donald Trump’s immigration policies.

He had also called undocumented Mexican immigrants “rapists”, “murderers” and “criminals,” and vowed to deport some 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the shadows in the United States.

"When Mexico sends its people, they're not sending their best, they're not sending you," Trump said as he announced his presidential bid in 2015.

"They're sending people that have lots of problems, and they're bringing those problems with us,” he continued. “They're bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists. And some, I assume, are good people."

In May 2018, Trump said some of the undocumented immigrants in America were “animals” and need to be deported.

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