Katrina Pierson, a spokeswoman for Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, fired back at Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Wednesday, after the tech billionaire called out several of the GOP frontrunner’s positions in a thinly veiled reference the day before.
“Self-righteousness isn’t very proactive,†she said on CNBC’s “Squawk on the Street†show. “We can talk about taxes, we can talk about jobs and even immigration, but that doesn’t really put food on the table and save lives.â€
“I think I’ll take Mark Zuckerberg seriously when he gives up all of his private security, moves out of his posh neighbourhood, and comes live in a modest neighbourhood near a border town,†she continued.
Pierson was later asked whether he statement was hypocritical in light of Trump employing a staff of private security.
She shot back that it was not, adding that Trump is pushing for policies to “protect the American citizen.â€
“Mark Zuckerberg talked about hope over fear,†she said. “That doesn’t save lives.â€
Speaking during Facebook’s F8 developer conference Tuesday, Zuckerberg made a point to decry many of the positions Trump has championed along the campaign trail. He did not mention the candidate by name.
Zuckerberg said he sees “people and nations†turn inward and against the “connected world and a global community.â€
“I hear fearful voices calling for building walls and distancing people they label as others,†he said, in an apparent reference to Trump’s vow to build a wall along the US-Mexico border. “For blocking free expression, for slowing immigration, reducing trade, and in some cases around the world even cutting access to the internet.â€
“Our lives are connected,†the tech mogul continued. “Whether we’re welcoming a refugee fleeing war or an immigrant seeking new opportunity. Whether we’re coming together to fight global diseases like Ebola or to fight climate change, we have the courage to see that the path forward is to bring people together, not push people apart.â€
The border wall has been a central tenet of the Trump campaign, ever since he railed against illegal immigration stemming from the country during his famous June announcement speech.
Ted Cruz, a Texas senator and Trump’s top rival for the GOP nomination, has also called for building a wall between the two countries. Ohio Gov. John Kasich, the other remaining GOP presidential hopeful, wants to “seal the border†but has not called for a full border wall.
Rewriting US trade deals with countries such as Mexico, China, and Japan has also been a crucial focus of Trump’s campaign.Â
Watch Pierson’s comments on Zuckerberg below:
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