Gingrich strongly rebuked Trump's comments during an interview on "Fox News Sunday," as did a number of prominent Republicans over the weekend. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said that he “couldn’t disagree more” with Trump, although he would not label the attacks as racist. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) struggled to answer questions about Trump's positions, at one point saying he had agreed to be interviewed just about foreign policy. House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) said Friday that he disagreed with Trump's comments, adding: “He clearly says and does things I don’t agree with."

"This is one of the worst mistakes Trump has made, and I think it's inexcusable," Gingrich said in the interview Sunday. "This judge was born in Indiana. He is an American, period. When you come to America, you get to become an American."

Gingrich compared Trump's attack to a liberal attacking Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas on the grounds that he's black.

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"We would all go crazy," Gingrich said. "Every conservative would say it was wrong and it was racism. And Trump has got to, I think, move to a new level. This is no longer the primaries. He's no longer an interesting contender. He is now the potential leader of the United States, and he's got to move his game up to the level of being a potential leader."

On Fox News early Monday, Trump was asked to respond to Gingrich's comment, along with those of other Republicans.