About two months before he won the Republican primary in New Jersey’s southern Second Congressional District, candidate Seth Grossman told those gathered at a GOP campaign forum on April 21 that “diversity is a bunch of crap” and an “un-American” concept.

In a chaotic series of statements, Grossman implied that America was “great” before Affirmative Action and before women worked and then claimed that African Americans would profit off of stronger immigration enforcement.

“What diversity has become, it’s an excuse by Democrats, communists and socialists, basically, to say that we’re not all created equal, that if some people or somebody is less qualified, they will get a job anyway or they’ll get into college anyway because of what group or what box they fit into,” he said. “Women, African American, Hispanic, they’re chopping us up into different pieces and getting us fighting against each other instead of spending our time saying everybody should be judged by their own talent, their work. “Once we say that Republicans want these traditional ways that made America great for all these years, then maybe African Americans will realize if we enforce our immigration laws, they’re be more opportunities for Americans of all backgrounds,” he said. “When we talk about women saying ‘Well we need special care for child care, we need this credit and that credit.’ I say wait a minute, when America was great, one parent alone earned more than enough money to comfortably support a family.”

The comments were filmed by the American Bridge to the 21st Century group, a political action committee that tracks Republican candidates, and were reported on by Philly.com. When contacted by Philly.com on Monday, Grossman, who has aligned himself with President Donald Trump, stood behind his comments.

Grossman faces Democrat Jeff Van Drew in a race seen as key to national Democrats’ plans to win back the House of Representatives.