Donald Trump Won’t Back Down from Immigration Remarks

Donald Trump isn’t backing down.

In a statement released on Monday, the Republican presidential contender defended his controversial comments about Mexican immigrants, saying that he doesn’t “see how there is any room for misunderstanding or misinterpretation.”

Trump has lost a slew of business partners, including Macy’s, Univision, Serta, NASCAR and NBC, since he accused the Mexican government of sending undesirable citizens, including “rapists” and criminals, to America in his candidacy announcement June 16.

But he reiterated this point in the statement. “The Mexican Government is forcing their most unwanted people into the United States,” he wrote, adding that Mexican immigrants should be considered a public health concern as they are responsible for “tremendous infectious disease … pouring across the border.”

Trump and the general public do seem to be in agreement about one thing, though: his presidential run hasn’t been great for business so far. “I have lost a lot during this Presidential run defending the people of the United States,” he wrote. “I have always heard that it is very hard for a successful person to run for President. Macy’s, NBC, Serta and NASCAR have all taken the weak and very sad position of being politically correct even though they are wrong in terms of what is good for our country.”

But, he added, he has “great respect for Mexico and love[s] their people.”