'He's just racist': Ex-Puerto Rico governor says there's only one explanation for Trump's negligence

MSNBC anchor Craig Melvin spoke to Puerto Rico's former Gov. Alejandro García Padilla (D) on Thursday, who said that President Donald Trump's haphazard response to Hurricane Maria and his contemptuous attitude toward the people of Puerto Rico are because Trump is "just racist."

García Padilla reminded Melvin that Puerto Ricans did not ask to become U.S. citizens. "It was imposed by Congress just prior to the first World War so our young Puerto Ricans back then can go into military service. So it's the duty of the United States to put its boots on the ground here in Puerto Rico."

"It's not that we are begging," he said. "It's what we deserve."

Trump, said García Padilla, "is talking to his electoral base. He's not talking about law or about history. He's showing off the he's just racist. Let's call it by name."

"That's a pretty bold assertion, there," said Melvin, "to call the president of the United States a racist."

"It is the way it is," replied the governor. "I respect the institution, but the way he handled it just shows, I think, what he stands for."

Watch the video, embedded below: