Rep. Hakeem Jeffries: Trump Is a 'Racial Arsonist'

A New York Democratic lawmaker Monday accused President Donald Trump of being a "racial arsonist" who uses "race to advance his own ends."

In remarks to CNN’s "The Situation Room" host Wolf Blitzer, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries said he found the president’s "inappropriate" remarks "troubling" about Charlottesville, Virginia, violence — and about "a few black athletes in the NBA and NFL."

"He's a racial arsonist," Jeffries said. "He uses race to advance his own ends. … I'm not going to stand here and call him a racist or not. But I’ll speak to the facts which have been part of his journey."

"He’s somebody that clearly has chosen to use elements of racial hatred and anxiety and stereotypes to advance himself …with some in his base," he added.

"I think it's reasonable to conclude that he seems to believe that this is working for him," he said. "But it is indecent. It's inconsistent with who we are as Americans."

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