Former state Sen. Nina Turner (D-OH) and ex-aide to Donald Trump, Jason Miller, got into a fiery debate on CNN Wednesday.
The conversation was about Rep. Ron DeSantis' (R-FL) comment that some have called racially chargeda.
"The last thing we need to do is to monkey this up," DeSantis said of his opponent Andrew Gillum after calling the Tallahassee mayor "articulate."
Turner began by explaining to all white people everywhere never to refer to a "monkey" or "ape" in any capacity when relating to a person of color. Regardless of what is intended, it will be taken as racist.
"There's a painful history in this country of using that stereotype," Turner continued. "It is used to dehumanize African-Americans and the representative knew exactly what he was doing when he said that. And it wasn't a dog whistle, it was a bullhorn to certain folks in this country who still see and believe that African-Americans are less than."
She noted that during Jim Crow and into the 21st century there were caricatures of black Americans as monkeys.
"There have been caricatures of President Obama, first lady Michelle Obama, Jackie Robinson, an athlete that had to face that too, throwing bananas and showing images of them as apes," she continued.
Miller said that he did agree DeSantis needs to wake up and realize that as a state-wide candidate the cameras are on him and anything he says will be examined.
"But what I will say about Ron Desantis, and I had the opportunity to work with Ron in 2015 and 2016 and got to know both he and his wife, is that I never heard Ron DeSantis make a single disparaging remark," Miller continued.
He went on to say that it was an honest misunderstanding and that DeSantis didn't mean it that way.
Fill-in host Jim Sciutto wondered if DeSantis was dropping small dog whistles the way President Donald Trump has done over the last several years.
DeSantis is "taking a page directly from the campaign manual of Donald Trump," Gillum said about the Republican.
"To be clear here, let's remind our viewers of some examples of what he's talking about," Sciutto said. "You'll remember Donald Trump called his former aide, Omarosa, a dog on Twitter. He mocked Lebron James, my colleague Don Lemon's intelligence: 'Lebron James was just interviewed by the dumbest man on television,' talking about Don Lemon. He regularly questions the intelligence of Democratic Congresswoman Maxine Waters."
Miller maintained that neither Trump nor DeSantis are racists and that he has known both men and believe them to be fine people.
"Look, that's not -- I wish he wouldn't insult folks the level that he does --" Miller said of Trump, before being cut off.
The comments prompted a quick response from Turner.
"This is what I don't like. I'm sorry, Jason, Jim, this is what I don't like. For folks to sit up here and have this cavalier attitude when it comes to racism in this country and not the dog whistle, but the bullhorn that has been used by this president and other racists," she said.
She recalled Trump saying there are "very fine people on both sides" about the Charlottesville riots.
"I cannot let that slide because we're not dealing with the 'he insults everybody,'" she continued. "There is a historic precedence in this country of dehumanizing African-Americans and using the images of monkeys and apes and low intelligence to do so. This is the same candidate, by the way, who did a commercial teaching Trump lessons to his children, I.e. Build the wall."
Miller shot back that the wall wasn't something that is "racist" and the conversation quickly devolved into a fight from there.
Watch it below:
