Trump to people of color: 'I say nothing'

Donald Trump on race.
(Image credit: Win McNamee/Getty Images)

During a section of the presidential debate devoted to the topic of race, moderator Lester Holt accused Donald Trump of continually perpetuating the falsehood that President Barack Obama wasn't born in the United States — a theory that Hillary Clinton called "a racist lie."

But Trump repeatedly deflected Holt's question, turning the moment around to tout that he was able to get Obama's birth certificate released. Yet as Holt pointed out, Obama's birth certificate was actually released back in 2011, and Trump continued to insinuate Obama was born abroad as recently as January of this year.

Trump again sidestepped the accusations, to which Holt tried one last time to get an answer. "We're talking about racially healing in this segment," Holt said. "What do you say to Americans of color —"

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"I say nothing, because I was able to get [Obama] to produce it, he should have produced it a long time before," Trump interrupted. "I say nothing."

When Clinton was given a chance to respond, she said simply, "Just listen to what you heard." Watch Trump deliver his answer, below. Jeva Lange

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Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.