President Trump has declared himself "the least racist person in the room," without a hint of irony.
During Thursday night's presidential debate, moderator Kristen Welker asked Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden to speak directly to Black parents and address why they need to give their children "the talk" about systemic racism in America. Biden gave a personal response about why Black parents have to tell their children how to behave with police, but he never had to do the same with his children. Trump, meanwhile, focused on how he had granted clemency to some incarcerated people and passed a criminal justice reform bill.
At the end of his meandering response, Trump then made a big statement: "I am the least racist person in this room." "I can't even see the audience because it's so dark. But I don't care who's in the audience. I'm the least racist person in this room," he later repeated. Biden responded with a dose of sarcasm: "Abraham Lincoln here is one of the most racist presidents we've had in modern history." Trump didn't get the joke. Kathryn Krawczyk
The Week
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