In an interview Saturday with Fox News, Donald Trump expressed surprise that there has been such an extreme backlash to his assertion that Mexican immigrants are criminals and rapists. “I knew it was going to be bad,” Trump said. “I didn’t know it was going to be quite this severe.”

“This isn’t just a Mexico thing,” Trump insisted. “I have great relations with Mexico. I love the Mexican people and the spirit of the Mexican people.”

This week, NASCAR announced that it would not hold its postseason award ceremony at the Trump National Doral hotel in Miami. “I’m very surprised at NASCAR,” Trump said. (Same.) “Because these are people that want to stop illegal immigration, they want to stop crime.”

“It’s about safety. All we’re talking about is safety.” Uh huh.

Photo credit: AP Images. Contact the author of this post: brendan.oconnor@gawker.com.