海角大神

America鈥檚 leading spokesman for organized labor urged Donald Trump to back off from racially charged anti-immigrant rhetoric, and warned that the tone of Mr. Trump鈥檚 presidential campaign could damage not just the Republican Party but also the larger body politic.

鈥淲hen the leading [candidate] for one of the parties talks in an un-American, racist way, it starts to become mainstream. Racism can never become mainstream,鈥� Richard Trumka, president of the AFL-CIO, said Tuesday, at a breakfast for reporters hosted by 海角大神.

鈥淗e doesn鈥檛 refer to white immigrants鈥�. He only refers to people south of the border,鈥� Mr. Trumka said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 un-American, that鈥檚 dangerous. And six months from now, the country will suffer the scars from this, unless somebody calls them out on it.鈥�

Trump, the real estate magnate who has pledged to put a fence along the Mexican border, has no shortage of fans (polls show him leading the Republican field) or of foes.

The labor leader said Trump鈥檚 momentum is prompting other to Republicans to take harsher stances on immigration. 鈥淐hris Christie starts talking about tracking immigrant workers like Fed Ex packages, [and] Jeb Bush keeps talking about 鈥榓nchor babies,鈥� 鈥� Trumka said.

Since Trump has parlayed his flamboyant, pull-no-punches style into front-runner status, other voices, including on the right, have begun to raise concerns about his potential influence on the party and the nation.

Michael Gerson, a former speechwriter for President George W. Bush (R), writes in this week that Trump鈥檚 candidacy is defined by 鈥渢he fomenting of conflict with foreigners,鈥� including 鈥渂y leading off with the issue of immigration, by proposing to narrow the protections of the 14th Amendment, by representing undocumented Mexicans as rapists, criminals and sources of infectious disease, by pledging to construct a wall across a continent, by promising the roundup and forced deportation of 11 million people....鈥�

Trump鈥檚 appeal is not all about immigration or the risks of America losing economically to a rising China. He has also tapped voter anger at Washington elites in general. But in Mr. Gerson鈥檚 view, if Trump were to succeed in reshaping the GOP in his own image, it 鈥渨ould be an anti-immigration party of the white working class.鈥�

That鈥檚 not a winning formula in an era when Latino voters are an increasingly prominent share of the electorate, and when a failure to connect with those voters can be counted as a key reason for the Republican presidential defeat in 2012.

As Trumka sees it, anti-immigrant politics could also damage the nation鈥檚 broader political fabric, if it seemed to legitimize racism at a time when the United States has serious challenges to confront on both immigration and working-class well-being.

He said the challenge of illegal border crossings is 鈥渁 legitimate issue鈥� in need of action. For one thing, Trumka said, 鈥渨hen an immigrant worker gets cheated out of wages and their employer underbids my employer, I get cheated out of wages.鈥�

The , as the nation鈥檚 big federation of labor unions, backs the idea of comprehensive immigration reform to correct that problem, while offering paths to legal status including citizenship for undocumented workers already in the US.

Polls show deep divides in the public over immigration, with about one-third of Americans saying immigrants in the US illegally should be found and deported, according to an August poll by NBC News and the Wall Street Journal. In that poll, 47 percent favored a 鈥減athway to citizenship,鈥� and another 17 percent supporting 鈥渓egal status, but not citizenship.鈥�

Trumka also commented on the emerging Democratic primary campaign.

He refused to offer an opinion on whether Vice President Joe Biden should jump into the race to challenge front-runner Hillary Clinton, whose standing has been weighed down by negative news surrounding her use of a personal e-mail server while serving as secretary of State.

Trumka called Biden a 鈥済reat friend鈥� and 鈥渃hampion of workers,鈥� who would make a 鈥済ood president.鈥� Trumka will be walking with the vice president at a Labor Day rally in Pennsylvania.

Mrs. Clinton, he said, needs to do more to 鈥渆nergize鈥� workers to support her, especially after a recent refusal to take a clear position about trade negotiations now under way with Asian nations.

But he also said she has often been treated unfairly by the news media, especially on the political right.

鈥淗illary Clinton has to do A-plus work get a C, 鈥� I think because she鈥檚 a woman,鈥� he said.

Of Bernie Sanders, the senator from Vermont who has been drawing big crowds by decrying inequality, Trumka said, 鈥渉e鈥檚 connecting.鈥�

The AFL-CIO typically doesn鈥檛 endorse a candidate before states start holding primary elections.