CNN legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin says President Trump
Donald John TrumpEx-Playboy model accuses GOP fundraiser Elliott Broidy of physical abuse: reports Cohen seeks to vacate hush-money deal with Stormy Daniels Stormy Daniels says she broke into 'sobs' when she heard about Cohen's plea MORE is telling his supporters he will protect them from "scary black people" with his message that there could be "violence" if the GOP loses the midterm elections.
"Let’s be clear also about what’s going on here," Toobin said Tuesday on CNN's "The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer." "The theme here is, 'I’m Donald Trump and I’ll protect you from the scary black people,'" he added.
"There's violence," he said, according to audio obtained by NBC News. "When you look at antifa and you look at some of these groups — these are violent people."
"Antifa" is a catchall word for loosely organized groups of self-described anti-fascists, some of which condone violence as a means of achieving political goals or combatting fascism.
Trump told the Christian officials that Election Day is “a referendum on not only me, it's a referendum on your religion” as well.
"Antifa is widely perceived as an African-American organization and this is just part of the same story of LeBron James and Don Lemon and Maxine Waters
Maxine Moore WatersTrump blasts Tester at Montana rally: 'He loves the swamp' Barclays official: Trump impeachment wouldn't crash stock market Beware the ides of the African American woman MORE and the NFL players and the UCLA basketball players," Toobin said. "This is about black vs. white. This is about Donald Trump’s appeal to racism. It just happens all the time. We don’t say it enough for what it is but that’s what’s going on."
Trump has come under increasing fire for calling African-American public figures unintelligent. He called CNN's Don Lemon "the dumbest man on television" and often claims Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) has a "low IQ."
"Lebron James was just interviewed by the dumbest man on television, Don Lemon," Trump tweeted at the beginning of August. "He made Lebron look smart, which isn't easy to do."
The president also frequently weighs in on the issue of NFL players kneeling during the national anthem, a protest in response to police brutality and racial inequality. Trump has encouraged the NFL to fire or suspend the players.