Miami lawyer Ronald Lowy made the comments on CNN while discussing the arrest of Sayoc, someone he said he had represented in past cases and whom he described as a "sick individual" who seemed "lost" and needed help.

"He was looking for anything, and he found a father in Trump," Lowy said, noting that the man's father "abandoned him as a child" and "he was trying to create an identity."

Lowy said that he believes Sayoc was attracted to Trump's messaging, which included reaching out to "outsiders" and "people who are angry at America."