CNN host Wolf Blitzer confronted Donald Trump's lead spokesperson on Monday regarding his comments about a federal judge, as well as their effect on his standing among Republicans.
"Who does he expect to stand beside him in the coming weeks and months?" Blitzer asked Katrina Pierson.
"The American voter, and that's all that matters here," she replied.
Blitzer pointed out that both House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) had criticized Trump for continually referring to Judge Gonzalo P. Curiel as "Mexican" despite Curiel being born in Indiana.
"This is typical reaction from Republican leaders," she said. "At the first hint of controversy or criticism regarding race, they tuck their tails and run and want to condemn immediately without even trying to understand what's happening here."
Trump has accused Curiel of being a "hater" and of having an inherent conflict of interest while overseeing a case involving his for-profit university because the judge's parents are Mexican immigrants, prompting criticism from both liberal and conservative circles.
Pierson questioned reports stating that Trump ordered his surrogates to defend his rhetoric.
"The surrogates want to get the facts out," she argued. "They don't want to sit here and listen to this nonsense calling Mr. Trump a racist, because that's not what's happening here. Mr. Trump is now the victim of judicial activism. Many people in this country know exactly what that feels like, and they don't like it."
Watch the interview, as aired on Monday, below.
