Former RNC chair slams GOP silence on Trump's 'inherent racism, misogynistic language, and bad behavior'

The Republican Party could be focused on principle, former Republican National Committee chair Michael Steele said on MSNBC's Morning Joe Tuesday, but instead has quietly followed President Trump's lead.

"It's not like Republicans don't have a narrative they can go out into the country and talk about," Steele said. "But no, they've fallen into this bucket where they feel they can peddle or at least stay silent on inherent racism, misogynistic language, and bad behavior."

Tuesday's midterms will provide a certain clarity, he continued, as to whether Americans will accept a Trumpified GOP long-term. "Somehow [Republicans] think they can sit back, and the American people are going to go, 'We want more of that,'" Steele argued. "Well, this election is going to be a very important tell on which direction America wants to go."

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Steele has leveled similar charges against the Republican Party and Trump before. Watch his comments in context below. Bonnie Kristian