Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks to the media before a rally on May 26 in Bismarck, North Dakota. | Getty Kasich calls on Trump to apologize to Trump U judge

Donald Trump’s assertion that an Indiana-born federal judge can’t impartially preside over Trump University cases because of his Mexican heritage “is flat out wrong,” and the real estate mogul should apologize, Ohio Gov. John Kasich said Monday.

The presumptive Republican presidential nominee last week ramped up his rhetoric on U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel, telling the Wall Street Journal that the American judge’s Mexican heritage is “an inherent conflict of interest” because of the billionaire’s proposal to build a wall on the southern border that Mexico will pay for.


Trump on Sunday took his criticism a step further, telling CBS’ John Dickerson that it’s possible he would have similar concerns with a Muslim judge due to his proposal to temporarily ban Muslims from entering the U.S.

Kasich became the latest Republican to condemn Trump’s remarks Monday, following former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and current House Speaker Paul Ryan, among others.

“Attacking judges based on their race &/or religion is another tactic that divides our country. More importantly, it is flat out wrong,” Kasich wrote in the first of two tweets.

“[email protected] should apologize to Judge Curiel & try to unite this country. #TwoPaths,” he continued.

Kasich last month told CNN’s Anderson Cooper that he was undecided on whether to back Trump as his party’s nominee.

“So, Anderson, what I'm saying is I'm for uniting and I have to see him move to uniting,” Kasich said then. “If he doesn't, I'm undecided here at this point. So we’ll see what happens.”

A week later, he told Cleveland.com and The Columbus Dispatch that it would be “really hard” to endorse Trump without seeing “a fundamental change.”

“If he changes,” Kasich said, “that’s a whole new ballgame.”