CNN host forced to explain to Republican Rick Santorum why Trump's attack on Democratic lawmakers was racist

During an appearance on CNN's "New Day" -- along with fellow Republican Charlie Dent (PA) -- ex-Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA) received a lecture from host John Berman on why Donald Trump's tweets and attacks on four Democratic lawmakers were racist.

While Dent revealed that down-ticket Republicans running for re-election in 2020 are "terrified" that Trump's descent into overt racism as a campaign strategy may kill their chances of holding their seats, Santorum said he was disgusted with the whole spectacle while saying he didn't see the attacks as racist.

Asked about the president's attacks, Santorum tried to brush them away and blame the recipients of Trump's ire.

"They're ignorant statements, what the president put out on Twitter," Santorum began. "I don't think they were racist statements and I think that's one of the things that's going on here which is that everything -- and again, I'm not defending what the president said in his tweets -- but what I am saying is to take everything and turn it into, you know, racism is what gets people all sort of fired up."

"You know, the fact is that the president was attacking their radicalism," he continued. "He was attacking their radical positions on a variety of issues. and I think to that extent, you know, that's sort of what's gotten people fired up."

"The underlying fact is that Rep. Ayanna Pressley was born in Cincinnati [editors note: she was born in Chicago] and represents a district in Massachusetts," Berman shot back.

"Right, like I said, it's an ignorant statement," the ex-GOP lawmaker conceded.

"What they all have in common is they are people of color and that's what makes this racist," Berman continued. "I asked you, do you think the president had to look like he was walking this back?"

"Yeah. look, I mean, as I said, the president's statements were wrong and ignorant and he needed to somehow try to heal this because while I don't think they were racist, I think you probably have as good a case that a lot of the things the president says are termed as racist," Santorum explained. "This is probably one because, as you mentioned, the people are the people of color so it makes it maybe the most subject to be called racist."

"And also because there's long history of people being told to go back where they came from," Berman reminded his guest. "He didn't invent that. He just bought into this thing we've heard for centuries, all of us have heard for centuries or with their own families if you come here as immigrants.'

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