Bernie Sanders lambastes Donald Trump's 'pathetic' birtherism

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) needs just one word to describe Donald Trump's birtherism theories: "Pathetic." In an interview with CNN on Friday, the former Democratic presidential candidate tore into Trump for promoting a theory that he says centers on "delegitimizing the first African-American president in the history of our country" to appeal to "extreme extremists."

"This goes to the root of what Trump's campaign is about," Sanders said. "And let's be clear: It's about bigotry."

Sanders' visible frustration followed the release of a statement from Trump's campaign Thursday acknowledging the GOP presidential nominee now believes that President Obama — who has proven he was born in Hawaii by publicly releasing his long-form birth certificate — was in fact born in the United States. Trump, however, has yet to say the words himself — much to Sanders' dismay. "It is not acceptable for a candidate for president of the United States to be arguing whether or not our president was born in this country," Sanders said.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Watch Sanders' full take on Trump's birtherism, below. Becca Stanek