Donald Trump took shot at Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton at a rally in Norcross, Georgia on Saturday, saying she should not be allowed to run for the White House, in response to her use of a private email server as secretary of state, which has been the subject of a federal investigation and controversial GOP-led congressional inquiries for months.
During his hour long remarks, the GOP front-runner said that if a Republican “did what she did with the email, they would be in jail 12 months ago.”
“I mean honestly, she shouldn’t be allowed to run. no she shouldn’t be,” said Trump. “I don’t think the Democrats are going to stop her from running, because the system is inherently unfair. It’s a very unfair system.”
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Trump and other GOP candidates have repeatedly questioned Clinton’s presidential qualifications. Meanwhile, the FBI has been investigating the security of Clinton’s email setup, and she has since acknowledged that her use of a private server to conduct government business was a mistake. Clinton has also turned over the work-related emails to the State Department from the private server and kept the ones she said are personal.
“I take responsibility and it wasn’t the best choice,” she told NBC News/MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell last month.
The growing scrutiny about Clinton’s email use has begun to have an impact in national polls. Just days before Clinton shares stage with rival Sen. Bernie Sanders in the first 2016 Democratic presidential debate, the latest Reuters/Ipsos poll shows her support support among Democrats has dropped by 10 points within a week.
Trump’s blunt message and tone on the campaign trail has had real staying power with the conservative wing of the Republican Party. This was apparent on Saturday, when he renewed his continued strong opposition to the Iran deal, called for the establishment of a more robust military, vowed to pursue his undocumented immigrant deportation plan, and promised to build what he calls “The Trump Wall” at the Mexico border.
The crowd roared in response to his promise to end Common Core educational standards and the birthright citizenship for children of undocumented immigrants, a position that majority of the GOP presidential hopefuls have also echoed.
“Our vets are not being treated properly,’ he said. “The illegal immigrants are being treated better in many many instances then our great vets. I can’t happen.
Prior to his address at the rally, Trump was flanked by a group of African American pastors at a press conference. As per usual, the real estate mogul bragged about his fortune and recent polls that show him maintaining a lead, while explaining that he’s been able to run a prudent campaign because he has been turning away “millions and millions of dollars” from potential donors. He later took another jab at singled Clinton, saying she’s “spending money like it’s water.”
When asked to reveal the secret sauce to his campaign, he responded with a smile, “What’s the secret of my popularity? Honestly, it’s my looks.”
“I’m very handsome,” he added.
In the aftermath of comments he made on “Meet The Press” last week, which some interpreted as the candidate prepping a campaign exit strategy, Trump pledged that he is never getting out of the race.
“I love this. I love the people,” he said. “We’re never ever getting out of this deal, ok, ever, ever. we’re winning.”
Khorri Atkinson