Republican presidential candidate and real estate mogul Donald Trump on Friday reportedly told an audience of Hollywood conservatives that the U.S. “should have invaded Mexico” instead of Iraq.

Trump stumped through Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and Phoenix over the weekend while railing against illegal immigration, which has become his fledgling presidential campaign’s pet cause. Trump said in a news conference at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, where he was flanked by people who said undocumented immigrants had killed their family members, that the media had been “dishonest” in covering his remarks on the subject, including his assertion that immigrants crossing the border with Mexico were “rapists” and drug dealers.

The business guru made the comment about invading Mexico during a Friday night speech to the Friends of Abe, where conservative columnist Ann Coulter and actors Nick Searcy, Lou Ferrigno, and Paul Sorvino and were allegedly in attendance, according to a report from alternative weekly newspaper LA Weekly.

An anonymous attendee told the newspaper that Trump said it was wrong for the U.S. to invade Iraq, as he believed a strong Iraq was necessary in order to keep a buffer with Iran.

“Instead,” Trump allegedly added, “we should have invaded Mexico.”

In his earlier, public speech at the Beverly Wilshire, Trump insisted that he had “great respect” for Mexico.

“The problem is the country of Mexico has leaders that are far smarter than our leaders. Far more cunning than our leaders,” he said. “Their negotiators are much better than our negotiators. And they’re sending people into our country, that we don’t want, but we take. And that they don’t want.”