Trump has assailed the judge, Indiana-born Gonzalo Curiel, presiding over a lawsuit against Trump University because Curiel has Mexican heritage. | Getty Trump: Muslim judge might not be fair to me either

Donald Trump expanded his argument against a Mexican judge on Sunday, suggesting that a Muslim judge might not be able to rule impartially in a Trump lawsuit either because of his call for a temporary ban on Muslim immigration.

It’s the extension of an argument that has rattled even many Republicans who have denounced as racist the real estate tycoon’s argument that a judge can’t rule fairly based on his ethnicity. But Trump, showing no signs of backing off the suggestion, indicated that he’d include other groups as well.


Quizzed by CBS’ John Dickerson in an interview that aired Sunday on “Face the Nation,” Trump said he’d have similar concerns about a Muslim judge.

“It’s possible, yes. Yeah. That would be possible, absolutely,” he said.

“Isn’t there sort of a tradition though in America that we don’t judge people by who their parents were and where they came from?” Dickerson replied.

And Trump countered again, “I’m not talking about tradition — I’m talking about common sense, OK?”

Trump has assailed Indiana-born federal Judge Gonzalo Curiel, who is presiding over a lawsuit against Trump University, because of Curiel’s Mexican heritage. He’s argued that his call for a wall on the border with Mexico prevents Curiel from ruling fairly.

Dickerson pressed Trump on how he arrived at that conclusion.

“He is a member of a club or society, very strongly pro-Mexican, which is all fine. But I say he’s got bias,” Trump said. He added, “This judge has treated me very unfairly; he’s treated me in a hostile manner. And there’s something going on.”