Florida Democratic Senate hopeful Patrick Murphy said in an interview this week that he "is an immigrant" even though he was born and raised in the United States.
"I’m an immigrant, we’re all basically immigrants here," Murphy stated during an interview with Mexican-born Jorge Ramos, who is an immigrant and has U.S. citizenship.
The comment was first noted by BuzzFeed, which explains that Murphy is not an immigrant in any way.
"Murphy is not an immigrant," writes BuzzFeed's Christopher Massie. "According to the biography on his House website, he was 'born and raised in Florida, spending most of his childhood along the South Florida coast.'"
Murphy's comment came after Ramos asked him if he was "afraid" that Donald Trump might become president and Murphy said that he was "alarmed."
"You know, you think of the Statue of Liberty, right? And all of us. I’m an immigrant, we’re all basically immigrants here," said Murphy. "And you think of that beacon of hope, of opportunity, and Trump is tearing that apart, and that is scary to me."
Murphy has also not had the typical immigrant upbringing. His father, Tom Murphy, Jr., owns a large Florida construction company that has done work on multiple Trump properties. The family owns a luxury yacht named Cocktails which Murphy has used throughout his campaign.
A spokesperson for the Murphy campaign did not respond to an email asking what Murphy meant when he called himself an immigrant.
It appears that the comment may have been a reference to his grandfather, Tom Murphy, who is described by the family construction business as an "immigrant carpenter."
Murphy's campaign has already been tripped up for telling falsehoods regarding his biography. He was caught by a local news outlet for overstating his experience both as an accountant and a small business owner.