Bernie Sanders Just Basically Called Out Donald Trump for Being a Racist

Rick Majewski/ZUMA

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In a fiery speech at Georgetown University outlining and defending democratic socialism on Thursday, Sen. Bernie Sanders, who is seeking the Democratic presidential nomination, went off script from his prepared remarks to condemn Donald Trump and other presidential candidates for their continued use of racist tactics to shape the immigration debate.

“Let me just say a few words from what I’ve heard from several Republican candidates for president over recent months because people can have honest disagreements about immigration, but people should not be using the political process to inject racism into the debate,” Sanders said. He then slammed Trump:

People should not be using the political process to inject racism into the debate. Donald Trump and others who refer to Latinos as peoples from Mexico as criminals and rapists, if they want to open that door, our job is to shut that door. This country has gone too far. Too many people have suffered and too many people have died for us to continue to hear racist words coming from major political leaders.

The much-anticipated speech concluded with Sanders receiving a rousing, standing ovation from students in attendance.

DONALD TRUMP & DEMOCRACY

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DONALD TRUMP & DEMOCRACY

Mother Jones was founded to do things differently in the aftermath of a political crisis: Watergate. We stand for justice and democracy. We reject false equivalence. We go after, and go deep on, stories others don’t. And we’re a nonprofit newsroom because we knew corporations and billionaires would never fund the journalism we do. Our reporting makes a difference in policies and people’s lives changed.

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Please help with a donation today if you can—even just a few bucks helps. Not ready to donate but interested in our work? Sign up for our Daily newsletter to stay well-informed—and see what makes our people-powered, not profit-driven, journalism special.

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