A federal judge in Texas who was presiding over a citizenship ceremony told new U.S. citizens that if they don’t accept Donald Trump as the president-elect, they should leave the country.
“I can assure you that whether you voted for him or you did not vote for him, if you are a citizen of the United States, he is your President,” Judge John Primomo said on Thursday, KENS-TV reported.
Primomo delivered the remark in San Antonio.
He added: “He will be your President, and if you do not like that, you need to go to another country.”
FEDERAL JUDGE TELLS IMMIGRANTS TO GO TO ANOTHER COUNTRY IF THEY DON'T ACCEPT TRUMP AS PRESIDENT https://t.co/Hv8MZO6von pic.twitter.com/xt5FCgK6zl
— Sophia Evans (@Sophia4Trump) November 21, 2016
He also lashed out at anti-Trump demonstrators and football players like Colin Kaepernick who kneel during the U.S. national anthem. “I detest that, because you can protest things that happen in this country; you have every right to,” Primomo said, the station reported. “You don’t do that by offending national symbols like the national anthem and the flag of the United States.”
Those who were critical of his statements started a MoveOn.org petition to have Primomo, appointed in 1998, removed from his position.
The judge made his comments in a room at the Institute of Texan Cultures, WFAA8 reported.
He told KENS-TV that he was not trying to make a political statement, as he didn’t vote for Trump.
