Paul Ryan: Trump's Judge Attacks Are 'Textbook Definition of Racist'

Donald Trump's criticisms of the federal judge handling the Trump University case, U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel,  based on his Mexican heritage should be "absolutely disavowed" as they were the "textbook definition of racist comments," House Speaker Paul Ryan said Tuesday before cautioning that he refuses to believe Hillary Clinton is the answer to solve the nation's problems.

"I regret these comments that he made," Ryan during a press conference. "Claiming a person can't do their job because of their race is sort of the textbook definition of racist comments. I believe that we have more common ground on the policy issues of the day, and we have more likelihood of getting our policies enacted with him than we do her."

"But I do absolutely disavow his comments," Ryan told reporters. I think they're wrong. I don't think they're right-headed, and the thinking behind it is something I don't even personally relate to."

Ryan endorsed Trump last week after holding a series of conversations with the presumptive front-runner and mulling the decision for nearly a month after Trump became the sole GOP candidate, and said Tuesday that at the end of the day, backing Trump is about moving House Republicans' agenda forward.

He said he does, though, think such comments from Trump "undercuts these things, and I'm not even going to pretend to defend them. I'm going to defend our ideas. I'm going to defend our agenda."

And what matters most, Ryan continued, "is our principles and the policy that is come from those principles and our ability to give the people of this country is a better way forward. A better way is what we're up to here. We believe we have a better likelihood of passing that than we would have with a President Clinton."

Ryan continued that he has not spoken to Trump about where he should campaign, but he has discussed with him the ideas and tone of his campaign.

"We have talked about welfare to work, we have talked about this agenda and the policies contained in this agenda, and that is why I believe we are far better off advancing these policies, getting them in law with his candidacy than we clearly are with Hillary Clinton's candidacy," said Ryan.

And when it comes to Trump doubling down on his remarks about Curiel, Ryan replied "I just fundamentally disagree with that. I think it's wrong. The way I look at this is if you say something that's wrong, I think the mature and responsible thing to do is to acknowledge it was wrong."

The speaker refused to comment on whether Trump's campaign needs additional help, as there is enough work to do in the House alone, without commenting on how candidates run their campaigns.

But still he won't defend Trump's comments because "they are indefensible. I will defend our ideas...I see it as my job as Speaker of the House to keep our party unified. I think if we go into the fall as a divided party, we are doomed to lose, and that is why I'm going to be focusing on these ideas, these solutions, and not attempt to try to defend the indefensible."

After the press conference, Trump aide Jeffrey Lord, told that he thinks Ryan had "apparently switched position" and is now supporting "identity politics, which is racist."

Further, Lord, who was on the show to defend Trump's comments about Curiel, said he would accuse Ryan or "anybody who believes in identity politics, which he apparently now does, of playing the race card. The Republican establishment is playing this. Senator [Mitch] McConnell is playing this. These people have run and hid and borrowed the Democratic agenda of playing the race card. "

Related Stories:

• Trump Orders Surrogates to Intensify Criticism of Judge and Journalists
• Gingrich: Attacking Judges Over Race Could 'Destroy America'