July 6, 2015 12:00 PM EDT
D onald Trump tweeted that fellow 2016 presidential hopeful Jeb Bush likes “Mexican illegals because of his wife,” the latest in a flurry of public comments about Hispanic Americans that have caused Macy’s, NBC and Univision to sever ties with the business mogul.
The comment was posted on Trump’s official Twitter account for 24 hours before it was deleted, according to screenshots captured by The Wrap. Bush’s wife, Columba, is Mexican.
The tweet comes on the heels of Bush publicly denouncing Trump’s comments, which characterized Mexican immigrants as potential criminals and rapists.
“He’s doing this to inflame and incite and to draw attention, which seems to be the organizing principle of his campaign,” Bush said. “To make these extraordinarily ugly kind of comments is not reflective of the Republican Party.”
Bush actually listed himself as Hispanic on a voter form in 2009 and has said that he takes personal offense to Trump’s statements.
[The Wrap ]
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