Bernie Sanders lambastes Donald Trump's 'pathetic' birtherism

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published 16 September 2016

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.