After a spate of mass shootings this weekend, Democratic presidential primary candidate Beto O'Rourke, who is from El Paso, Texas, is pointing the finger directly at President Donald Trump.
"We have to acknowledge the hatred, the open racism that we're seeing," O'Rourke told CNN's "State of the Union." "There is an environment of it in the United States. We see it on Fox News; we see it on the Internet; and we see it from our commander-in-chief. He is encouraging this.
"He doesn't just tolerate it, he encourages it, calling immigrants rapists and criminals and seeking to ban all people of one religion. Folks are responding to this. It doesn't just offend us, it encourages the violence we're seeing including in my home town of El Paso [Saturday]."
O'Rourke told host Jake Tapper he has a duty to "call it out" that President Trump is a "white nationalist."
"Let's not mince words right now: This president is encouraging greater racism and not just the racist rhetoric but the violence that so often follows," O'Rourke said.
"This is the toleration of intolerance and racism in this country, and this is what we're seeing here today and it will continue to happen unless we call it out and unless we change it.
"Let's be clear who the president is: He is an open avowed racist and encouraging more racism in this country and this is incredibly dangerous for the United States of America right now. All of us have a responsibility to stand up and be counted on this issue."
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