California Congresswoman Karen Bass Says Trump Is Racist & Believes He’s ‘Essentially Giving License to Racists’

California Rep. and Joe Biden’s potential VP pick Karen Bass called Donald Trump a racist and said that he is “essentially giving license to racists,” during an interview that aired Thursday.

Bass was asked by CNN’s David Axelrod, whether she thought Trump was a racist. “Yes, I do. I don’t think there’s anything new about that,” the Congresswoman responded. “I think he’s second generation, I mean, his father was. They were charged with discrimination, housing discrimination, sued by the federal government.”

Later she said, “Everything that has come out of his mouth, not just against Black people, I mean, he started his campaign with racist attacks on Mexicans. He’s attacked Native Americans, and his latest attacks are on Asian Americans by calling the (coronavirus) as the China virus. And there has been attacks against the Asian Pacific Islander community. People have been hurt because of his essentially giving license to racists that might have been a little dormant for a minute, but who now feel completely emboldened and empowered.”

CNN previously reported that based on more than two dozen recent interviews with members of Congress, top Democratic donors, Biden allies, and others, that the 66-year-old was a top candidate for Biden’s VP pick. Since announcing that he would choose a woman as his running mate, Biden has also been pressured to choose a woman of color. If selected, and Biden then elected, Bass would be the first woman and the first Black vice president in the country’s history. Last month, Biden commented that Trump was the ‘first’ racist to become President.

Later in her interview, Bass also said she believes the Republican’s strategy for the election is to “run a racist campaign.” “I’m very clear that the Republican Party has two strategies for this election. And one is to resurrect the ghost of Joe McCarthy and the Cold War. And two is to resurrect the ghost of George Wallace and run a racist campaign,” she said.