Trump: ‘Not proud’ of children mimicking my deportation rhetoric

Donald Trump said Wednesday he is “not proud” that children are mimicking his rhetoric.

“There have been incidents of children, of white children, pointing to their darker-skinned classmates and saying, ‘You’ll be deported when Donald Trump is president.’ There have been incidents of white kids at basketball games holding up signs to teams which have Hispanic kids on them, saying, ‘We’re going to build a wall to keep you out.’ Are you proud of that? Is that something you’ve done in American political and social discourse that you’re proud of?” NPR news analyst Cokie Roberts asked Trump on “Morning Joe.”

Roberts’ question was prompted by reports from around the country that the language Trump has used on the campaign trail is being repeated by youth.

A Virginia school district confirmed a story about a third grader being told by his classmates that he would be deported if Trump became president.

A high school basketball game in Indiana took a controversial turn after spectators allegedly chanted statements that were taken as racist toward Latinos. A report said that fans of one team had big placards with Donald Trump’s face and were yelling, “Build a wall, build a wall.”

Trump took issue with Roberts’ inquiry and insisted he did not have knowledge of these incidents. He also maintained that his rhetoric on deportation was directed toward illegal immigration.

“I think your question’s a very nasty question,” Trump said. “And I’m not proud of it because I didn’t even hear of it, OK? And I certainly do not like it at all when I hear about it. You’re the first one whose told me about that.”

“I talk about deporting people that are here illegally,” Trump said of his immigration platform. “We have a country or we don’t.”

More From MSNBC: