Donald Trump has been labelled an “extremely silly man” by America’s largest Latino civil rights organisation after claiming that Mexico is sending “rapists” to the US.
While Republicans such as Jeb Bush are going out of their way to attract the increasingly important Hispanic vote in 2016 – Bush delivered some of his launch speech in Spanish – Trump appeared to be heading in a different direction with his campaign launch on Tuesday.
“[Mexico] are sending people that have lots of problems, and they are bringing those problems to us. They are bringing drugs, and bringing crime, and their rapists,” the business mogul said.
Such claims were “absurd”, said Lisa Navarrete, a spokeswoman for the National Council of La Raza, a Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organisation.
“This is a man who has a pathological need for attention,” said Navarrete. “I look at him as a two-year-old who will say a naughty word to get their parents’ attention. That’s what he’s doing.”
Trump has toyed with running for president since the 1980s. He has said he was considering a bid during almost every election cycle since 2000. Tuesday’s event at Trump Tower represents the first time he has fully outlined his policies and political beliefs.
He aimed specific ire at Mexico, claiming he would build a “great, great wall” on the Mexican-American border, and accusing the country of sending “not the right people” to the US.
“The US has become a dumping ground for everyone else’s problems,” he said.
Navarrete said the claim that Mexicans seeking work in America were rapists was “offensive”.
“This is an exceedingly silly man, who has no idea what he’s talking about,” she said.
Navarrete said although Trump’s statements had “no basis in fact”, they fitted in with a perception of the party he sought to represent.
“Part of the reason why Latinos are so alienated from the Republican party these days is there’s a sense that there are people who actually believe [what Trump said],” she said.
“I’m hoping that the saner, more rational people in the Republican party can put a stop to this kind of thing, and say: ‘No, we’re going to be constructive, we’re not going to needlessly and consciously alienate the fastest-growing group of voters in this country.”
