TRUMP: 'I am the least racist person that you have ever met'
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Republican presidential front-runner told CNN's Don Lemon on Wednesday that he's the complete opposite of a racist.
"I am the least racist person that you have ever met," Trump said. "I am the least racist person."
Lemon then asked Trump if he's "bigoted in any way."
"I don't think so. No. I don't think so," the real-state mogul replied.
"Islamophobic?" Lemon asked.
Trump said he wasn't Islamophobic and then launched into an explanation of his "street sense."
He pointed to his 2000 book that warned of the threat of threat of Osama bin Laden before the September 11, 2001, terror attacks. The Washington Post's fact-checking operation has accused Trump of exaggerating his prediction.
"I am a person who happens to be very smart. And I happen to have a certain street sense and I know where things are going," Trump said.
"I said take out Osama bin Laden in a book, written in the year 2000 called, 'The America We Deserve,'" he continued. "I said, 'You better be careful because I saw this guy Osama bin Laden,' probably on television. I said, 'Take him out.' He knocked down the World Trade Center."
As Lemon has done before, he asked Trump on Wednesday about his potential prejudice in the aftermath of a campaign-trail firestorm involving a minority group.
Trump announced a proposal on Monday to suspend virtually all Muslim travel into the US — including immigrants and tourists — in order to reduce the risk of terrorism. Republican and Democratic critics blasted the plan as unconstitutional and unethical, but Trump has held his ground.
Trump's responses to Lemon were similar to what he told ABC's Barbara Walters the day before.
"Are you a bigot?" Walters asked.
"Not at all. Probably the least of anybody you've ever met," Trump replied.
"Because?" Walters pressed.
"Because I'm not," Trump said. "I'm a person that has common sense. I'm a smart person. I know how to run things. I know how to make America great again. This is about making America great again."
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