On Friday, a court released deposition footage of testimony by Donald Trump, who is seen discussing disparaging remarks he made about Mexicans. Trump’s infamous comments about the Latin community are nothing new, as he has railed against illegal immigrants as a launching point for his candidacy (by painting them as drug dealers and rapists). He also talked about building a wall and tried to defend his derogatory reasoning by telling CNN’s Don Lemon in July, “Somebody’s doing the raping.”
In the above clip from the June deposition, Trump gives statements in a lawsuit that was filed after prominent chefs backed out of opening restaurants in his new Washington, D.C.-based hotel. Trump is asked whether his comments were premeditated: “Did you plan in advance what you were going to say?” Trump answers, “Yes.” Trump also said he hadn’t shared these comments with anyone before stating them. When questioned if he thought these remarks would hurt his business dealings, the real estate mogul said “No. No, I didn’t. I didn’t at all.” He also used one of his classic lines, stating the media misinterpreted his comments and that he was only referring to illegal immigrants.
The deposition tapes are a few hours long, and if you aren’t game to hear Trump talking for a few hours, you can also find a full transcript of the deposition here.
