Donald Trump is set to face reporters Tuesday night to deliver remarks at the conclusion of the GOP primaries, just hours after he released a statement aimed at quelling controversy he stirred up among some top Republicans over racially charged comments.
The capstone moment presents high stakes for Trump, who will read prepared remarks off of teleprompters, a campaign aide confirmed — something he has derided other politicians for doing and has only employed himself for policy speeches.
His remarks come at the same time as former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton clinched the number of delegates needed to become the Democratic Party’s presumptive nominee — and as he tries to turn the page from a rocky week.
Trump released a lengthy statement earlier in the day, likely seeking to ward off questions about a Trump University lawsuit he is facing and his controversial remarks about the judge overseeing the case.
“I do not intend to comment on this matter any further,” Trump said in the statement he released Tuesday, in which he said his comments about Judge Gonzalo Curiel had been “misconstrued.”
It’s unclear whether Trump will take questions from the reporters he will address Tuesday night at his golf club here in the suburbs of New York.
Trump last week repeatedly accused Curiel, who was born in Indiana, of being inherently biased against him due to his Mexican heritage. Trump said in the statement Tuesday that he does “not feel that one’s heritage makes them incapable of being impartial,” but did not apologize for the remarks or say he was mistaken.
Trump may also seek to steal the spotlight from Clinton, his presumed general election rival, on the night she is expected to celebrate becoming the first female presidential nominee of a major party in U.S. history.
