During last night’s Miss America pageant, the swimsuit competition took a backseat to remarks made by one contestant, who had some strong words for Republican president nominee Donald Trump.
According to CNN, Meg McGuffin, the reigning Miss Alabama, made the comments during the Miss America 2016 pageant on Sept. 13, in which she finished as fourth runner-up.
When Miss America judge Taya Kyle, the widowed wife of Navy SEAL Chris Kyle, asked the beauty queen about Trump’s surge to the front of the GOP pack, McGuffin did not shy away from the question.
“I think Donald Trump is an entertainer, and I think he says what’s on a lot of peoples’ minds,” she said.
“But I think the Republican Party should be absolutely terrified of all the attention that he is taking from incredible candidates like Jeb Bush and Chris Christie who could absolutely do the job of president of the United States.”
McGuffin echoes the sentiments of many Americans, who feel that Trump’s brash and often offensive personality is not consistent with what the country expects of its leaders.
According to Business Insider, Trump recently doubled down on inflammatory remarks he made regarding U.S. immigration policies, which he believes to be far too lenient for Mexicans who illegally cross the border.
“The largest suppliers of heroin, cocaine and other illicit drugs are Mexican cartels that arrange to have Mexican immigrants trying to cross the borders and smuggle in the drugs. The Border Patrol knows this,” Trump wrote in a June statement.
Though about 1,001,715 green cards are given out each year, Trump firmly believes that millions of Mexicans are illegally entering America.
According to MigrationPolicy.org, Mexicans accounted for 28% of the country’s 41.3 million foreign-born population as of 2015.
While Miss Alabama — and many other critics — dismiss Trump as nothing but an “entertainer” or a reality-show star, the real estate mogul hasn’t done much to change that narrative.
In fact, CNN also reports that Trump recently defended his comments about GOP contender Carly Fiorina’s face by saying that “some comments are made as an entertainer.”
Whether you agree with McGuffin or not, it’s hard to argue with the polls. According to ABC News, Trump currently boasts a whopping 33% of Republican support, with second-place Ben Carson coming in at 21%.
Trump, much like McGuffin, is certainly not fazed by the “Q and A” portion of the election. However, it still remains to be seen if he has anything in store for the talent competition.
