Rep. John Lewis on Trump: ‘I think he is a racist’

Representative John Lewis (D-Ga.) has called President Trump “racist” over his alleged “shithole” remark.

In an interview with ABC News’ ‘This Week’ on Sunday with George Stephanopoulos, Lewis said while the U.S. has made “so much progress” on race in the past decades, Trump “is taking us back to another place.”

When Stephanopoulos asked, “do you think President Trump is a racist?” Lewis responded, “I think he is a racist.”

Reactions to Trump’s alleged remark were largely split along the party lines.

Republican Senator Rand Paul told NBC News it’s “unfair” to call the president “racist,” and added, “I don’t think the comments were constructive at all, but I also think that, to be fair, we shouldn’t draw conclusions that he didn’t intend.”

RELATED: Rep. John Lewis

The Washington Post reported Thursday that according to people briefed on a meeting between Trump and lawmakers on immigration, the president said in reference to Haiti, El Salvador, and African countries, “Why are we having all these people from shithole countries come here?”

Trump appeared to offer a denial, when he tweeted, “The language used by me at the DACA meeting was tough, but this was not the language used.”

He also told reporters on Sunday, “No, I’m not a racist. I am the least racist person you have ever interviewed.”

Advertisement