Trump Said He Hates The Arrest Of Kentucky Clerk, But Gay Marriage Is 'Law'

The Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump admitted on Friday that he wished Kim Davies, the Kentucky county clerk who refused to issue same-sex wedding licenses on the grounds of religious freedom had not been jailed. But he immediately followed it with the statement, that gay marriage is now "the law of the land."

Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis has unintentionally become a flashpoint for many candidates in the GOP's presidential race, with many hopefuls asserting that the arrest was a violation of religious freedom.

The question was shot at Trump during MSNBC's "Morning Joe," after Davis was arrested for not following the Supreme Court's decision to legalise gay marriage, according to nj.

"I'm a believer on both sides of the picture," the billionaire businessman said, and then went on to say that the case was "a very, very sticky situation."

Trump agreed that there were two alternatives to the issue. Either Davis could let her deputy clerks issue the licenses, or couples could go to other places to get licenses.

"They have many other places where you get licensed, and you have them actually, quite nearby," said the real estate billionaire and former reality television star. He today has three New Jersey golf courses and also three Atlantic City casinos.

"I hate to see her being put in jail," Trump added. "I understand what they're doing. It would be certainly nice if she didn't do it, but other people in her office do it. But from what I understand, she won't allow other people in her office to do it."

Should clerks across the country then issue licenses to gay marriage applicants, only because the Supreme Court has legalized it?

"You have to go with it," said Trump, who leads all 16 of his Republican rivals - including New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie - in the polls. "The decision has been made, and that is the law of the land."

He added: "She can take a pass and let somebody else in the office do it in terms of religious," he added. "So you know, it's a very tough situation. But ... we're a nation of laws."

Other Republican contenders have been more aggressive and harsher in their charges. U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas said that "the government arrested a Christian woman for living according to her faith.

"This is wrong," Cruz said in a statement. "This is not America."

U.S. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky said Thursday during an interview on CNN that "it's absurd to put someone in jail for exercising their religious liberty."

He added: "I think it's a real mistake, and even those on the other side of the issue, I think it sets their movement back."

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee said that it has amounted to "criminalization of Christianity in our country" and added that he would visit her while she is in custody.