President Trump Donald John TrumpOmar fires back at Trump over rally remarks: 'This is my country' Pelosi: Trump hurrying to fill SCOTUS seat so he can repeal ObamaCare Trump mocks Biden appearance, mask use ahead of first debate MORE's former speechwriter Frank Buckley on Thursday said that Trump's comments attacking U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel for his Mexican heritage during the presidential campaign were embarrassing.

"The Mexican judge, embarrassing, no question," Buckley told Hill.TV's Krystal Ball and Saagar Enjeti on "Rising."

Buckley said that he thought the comments were “out of character” compared to the rest of the campaign.

"It was out of character in the sense of what the rest of the campaign was all about. What we wanted to do was get away from that, and talk about ordinary Americans who were losing their jobs, who didn't believe that the promise of America was still there. That was what it was about," he continued.

Trump targeted Curiel during the 2016 presidential campaign, saying he might be biased over against him in a lawsuit over Trump University because of the judge's Mexican heritage.

"Everybody says it, but I have a judge who is a hater of Donald Trump, a hater. He’s a hater. His name is Gonzalo Curiel. And he is not doing the right thing, and I figure what the hell, why not talk about it for two minutes," then-candidate Trump said at a rally in May of 2016.

“The judge, who happens to be, we believe, Mexican, which is great, I think that’s fine,” Trump said. “You know what? I think the Mexicans are going to end up loving Donald Trump when I give all these jobs, OK?”

Curiel is an American and was born in Indiana to immigrant parents.

— Julia Manchester