CNN's Sellers: Donald Trump “Wants People To Believe That Barack Obama Is A Muslim”
Bakari Sellers: “We Know What He's Saying. This Is The Person That Led The Birther Movement”
Written by Media Matters Staff
Published
From the June 14 edition of CNN's New Day:
ALISYN CAMEROTA (HOST): In the aftermath of this nightclub attack, the politics of terror are as divisive as ever. Donald Trump questioning whether President Obama may have had some ulterior interests in this terror attack.
[...]
What was Donald Trump referencing there?
BEN FERGUSON: I think his point that he referencing is pretty clear. He believes that the president is doing everything he can to not actually call this what it is and to be politically correct. This is radical Islamic terrorists. They are in this country, obviously, and being radicalized over the internet, and maybe by their own means. But the fact is, this is a war that we are with with these terrorists, and he seems to do everything he can to be blunt and bold about the gun that was used and be very clear about how much he hates that gun and wants to ban it. But he holds back on the other issue, and that is the radical Islamist terrorists who are doing this. Some of them are homegrown. Some of them are in our country.
CAMEROTA: So Bakari, is that how you heard it?
BAKARI SELLERS: No.
CAMEROTA: This was just him referencing the president being politically correct, not being a sympathizer of some kind?
SELLERS: No. And Ben understands that's not the case as well. I mean, first let me just say my heart goes out to Orlando and all of the victims in Orlando.
FERGUSON: No, I don't.
SELLERS: But Donald Trump and his dog-whistle politics have just gone too far. I think that we all understand Donald Trump and the fascism, the “America First,” pre-World War II type of ideology that he has, it's just gone too far. And at a time when we've been struck by so much tragedy, for him to insert this type of demagoguery, for him to insert this type of dog-whistle politics, we know what he's saying. This is the person that led the birther movement. And yes, we do have a gun problem in this country. And regardless what you call it, regardless of what the word is, if you want to say radical Islam, radical jihadist, whatever you want to call the word, there was no reason for him to be able to get the tool he used to kill those individuals. So we can bicker back and forth about the verbiage that's used. And if that's the battle that Donald Trump wants to wage, so be it, but he has to rise above this dog-whistle politics, which isn't good for our country.
[...]
I think first and foremost the reason that Donald Trump is saying what he's saying is because he wants people to believe that Barack Obama is a Muslim. That's a fact. That's what he wants people to believe, and that's not the case. That is why he's using dog-whistle politics. That's why he believes that the president of the United States somehow sympathizes or empathizes with this murderer, and that's not the case. But if we want to talk about terror in this country, let's have a real discussion. Let's talk about Robert Louis Dear. Let's talk about Dylann Roof. Let's talk about all of these people who have utilized these weapons to go out and massacre many individuals, and Congress' inability to act. This United States Congress -- that's led by the Republican Party in both the House and Senate -- have failed to act, and their failure to act is an act in itself. And so we all have blood on our hands and we're all complicit in this. And until we do something about our gun culture in this country, and I have a CWP, we're going to have a problem.
Previously:
Trump Ridiculed After Insinuating Obama Is Complicit In Orlando Attack