Trump co-chair demands CNN stop saying 'racist' because 'it always pushes back on the white guy'

Trump campaign honorary co-chair Carl Paladino on Monday suggested that the presumptive GOP nominee was a victim of anti-white racism because the media "always pushes back on the white guy."

Paladino began his interview with CNN's Carol Costello by attacking the media for reporting on Donald Trump's comments about U.S. District Court Judge Gonzalo Curiel's Hispanic heritage.

"The press has created this issue," Paladino insisted.

"Because it sounds racist, that's why," Costello immediately shot back.

"Well, it sounds racist because in your vernacular, okay, that's what you're trying to prove," Paladino opined. "What is the press interested in doing right now? They've got their jockey shorts all bunched up, and they're all excited over having an issue that they can pick apart in its most minute sense."

The CNN host pointed out that conservative blogger Erick Erickson had accused his own party of "entertaining a racist as its leader in the name of winning."

Paladino, who has his own history of making controversial racial statements, accused Erickson of liking "to use the term 'racist'."

"This is incredible that you want to pull this word out and use it," the Trump surrogate complained. "Because it always pushes back on the white guy. It's not fair."

"This is the real world and in the real world you have considerations like that when you look at, 'Why am I getting sued?'" he added. "The press constantly wants to identify what the issues of the day are, you don't have that right."

"[Donald Trump] is the one that has to define what the issues of the day are, not the press. You don't have a right to do that."

Watch the video below from CNN, broadcast June 6, 2016.