I think I’ve been treated very unfairly by this judge. We’re building a wall. He’s a Mexican.
Analysis
Trump’s statement falsely implies Judge Curiel is a foreign national or has divided loyalties due to his ethnicity, which is both inaccurate and widely criticized as a racially charged attack. Curiel was born in East Chicago, Indiana, to Mexican immigrant parents, making him a U.S. citizen by birthright. The claim conflates heritage with nationality, a distinction that undermines the impartiality of the judiciary. Legal experts and fact-checkers, including *The Washington Post* and *PolitiFact*, have debunked this framing as baseless and prejudiced.
Background
The remark was made during Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, amid lawsuits against Trump University, which Curiel was overseeing. Trump repeatedly suggested Curiel’s Mexican heritage created a conflict of interest, despite no evidence supporting this claim. The comments drew bipartisan condemnation, with critics accusing Trump of exploiting ethnic stereotypes for political gain.
Verdict summary
Donald Trump’s claim that Judge Gonzalo Curiel is 'a Mexican' is false, as Curiel was born and raised in Indiana, U.S., and is a natural-born U.S. citizen of Mexican heritage.
Sources consulted
— PolitiFact: *Donald Trump’s false claim that Judge Gonzalo Curiel is ‘Mexican’* (2016) - [https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2016/jun/07/donald-trump/donald-trumps-false-claim-judge-gonzalo-curiel-me/](https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2016/jun/07/donald-trump/donald-trumps-false-claim-judge-gonzalo-curiel-me/)
— The Washington Post: *Trump’s attack on a judge’s Mexican heritage draws fire from GOP* (2016) - [https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trumps-attack-on-a-judges-mexican-heritage-draws-fire-from-gop/2016/06/06/1a53d9a0-2c5e-11e6-9de3-6e6e7a14007c_story.html](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trumps-attack-on-a-judges-mexican-heritage-draws-fire-from-gop/2016/06/06/1a53d9a0-2c5e-11e6-9de3-6e6e7a14007c_story.html)
— NPR: *Who Is Gonzalo Curiel, The Judge Trump Attacked?* (2016) - [https://www.npr.org/2016/06/07/481139060/who-is-gonzalo-curiel-the-judge-trump-attacked](https://www.npr.org/2016/06/07/481139060/who-is-gonzalo-curiel-the-judge-trump-attacked)
— U.S. Constitution (14th Amendment, Citizenship Clause) - [https://constitution.congress.gov/constitution/amendment-14/](https://constitution.congress.gov/constitution/amendment-14/)