O’Malley: Trump Speaks with ‘Hate Filled Language’; There’s Nothing Tough’ About Him

‘All of us in the public arena of this presidential campaign need to push back against Donald Trump and this sort of language; it’s not funny’

DÍAZ-BALART: “With me now for his debut appearance as candidate on ‘The Rundown,’ is Democratic presidential candidate and two-time former governor of Maryland, Martin O'Malley. Governor, great seeing you.”

O’MALLEY: “Jose, thanks for having me.”

DÍAZ-BALART: “Let’s talk a little bit about the campaign. It seems as though the political atmosphere in the United States is so unusual, many say. I mean, we're seeing candidates that aren't politicians making an impact. And we see other candidates that have vast experience not being able to break through on the campaign trail. Tell me what your analysis is of the campaign.”

O’MALLEY: “My sense is the right now as a country, we’re going through a fragile and volatile time. The good news is our nation is creating jobs every month now for 65 months in a row. The bad news is 70 percent of us are earning the same or less than we were 12 years ago. What does that have to do with today’s political climate? It means when people like Donald Trump speak in such hate-filled language about other human beings, scapegoat other human beings as he has done with all Mexican American immigrants, it gives license to people who are very concerned and very worried and very apprehensive about their own future and their children’s future. And all of us who are in the public arena of this presidential campaign need to push back against Donald Trump and this sort of language. It’s not funny. It’s not entertaining, and it is unbecoming of the United States of America and the office of the president.”

DÍAZ-BALART: “And why do you think, governor, that those terms that Donald Trump uses have made such an impact? Why is it that he continues to grow in popularity and in support among Republicans as he uses this language that you say -- you should push back on?”

O’MALLEY: “We’ve seen other examples of this in history when people feel like their economic opportunities are declining. When people feel like they’re not going to be able to give their children a better future, it becomes a very volatile political climate within which charlatans and unscrupulous so-called leaders can scapegoat other people and say that the reason you’re not doing better is because people not like us, people like them, the others. And we’ve seen this before. And now we’re seeing it right now in our own country. Look, if Donald Trump is such a big, tough guy, why is it that he takes -- why is it that he takes on minimum wage workers? Why is it that he prevents minimum wage workers from even having labor unions? Why is it that he say such denigrating things about new American immigrants and about women? I don’t find anything tough about Donald Trump at all. In fact, my parents taught us this is not strength. This is weakness when you attack and you scapegoat other people and talk less of other human beings, as he has done in such hate-filled ways.”

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