“For the people that say I’m doing it for my brand — this isn’t good for my brand,” the real estate mogul and Republican candidate said Saturday on Fox & Friends. “I think it’s bad for my brand. I don’t care. You know maybe I’m leading in polls, but this is certainly not good. I lose customers. I lose people.”

Trump, who nonetheless described his ongoing operations as “very powerful, very strong” during the interview, shrugged off  the defection of multiple high-profile business and media partners over his characterization of Mexican immigrants as violent criminals and “rapists.” 

“I’ve always said if you’re a successful person, it’s very hard to run for office, because they come at you at all different sides,” Trump said.