Gov. Scott Walker
Governor Scott Walker has insisted that he will stand by a promise to support the eventual Republican presidential nominee. However, in the wake of a firestorm of racially charged criticism against Donald Trump this week, the governor said he’s watching to see how the presumptive nominee handles the situation.
Trump on Tuesday walked back recent comments he made about a federal judge overseeing a lawsuit against his former Trump University. The billionaire previously said he had doubts about receiving a fair trial because the judge in the case, U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel, has Mexican parents. Trump has campaigned on a pledge to build a wall along the U.S. border with Mexico.
In a statement released Tuesday afternoon though, Trump claimed his comments had been “misconstrued” as an attack against all people of Mexican heritage. The billionaire now says he does not feel that a person’s heritage can make them incapable of being impartial. However, he feels justified in questioning whether he’s getting a fair trial in this case because of rulings that have been made by the judge so far.
The reversal follows several Republicans moving to distance themselves from Trump’s earlier comments, including House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) and U.S. Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI).
Walker also weighed in Tuesday, just hours before Trump’s latest comments, saying that he too disavowed the statements. Walker said Trump’s views were “at odds” with the Republican Party and “who we are as Americans.”
AUDIO: Gov. Scott Walker is disavowing Trump’s comments about a federal judge (:17)
When pressed on whether he would continue to support Trump though, Walker was quick to point out that he’s not yet the official nominee of the Republican Party. “Officially that won’t happen until the middle of July,” Walker said, which is when the Republican Party holds its national convention in Cleveland, Ohio. “We’ll see what happens between now and the convention,” he said.