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"The moment an African American hears the word 'shackles' it's reminiscent of the era of slavery," Butterfield said in a phone interview. "We're at a point now where Donald Trump is out of control. We don't know what's next."

Trump, who's had a rocky relationship with Ryan throughout the campaign, did not appreciate the Speaker's maneuver.

“Despite winning the second debate in a landslide (every poll), it is hard to do well when Paul Ryan and others give zero support!” Trump tweeted. "Disloyal R's are far more difficult than Crooked Hillary. They come at you from all sides. They don’t know how to win — I will teach them!”

The Manhattan real estate mogul then suggested Ryan's new vow of distance will benefit Trump's presidential bid.

"It is so nice that the shackles have been taken off me and I can now fight for America the way I want to," he tweeted.

Butterfield praised Ryan's move, saying the Speaker "is displaying leadership and character" that shows "the very best" side of the Republican Party. Although Ryan has not dropped his official endorsement of Trump, Butterfield said the distance he established this week is, essentially, a disavowal.

"The implication from his statements is … that even Paul Ryan may not vote for him," he said.

Democratic leaders are increasingly optimistic that Trump's name at the top of the ticket will be a boon to their party down the ballot, where they're hoping to make significant gains in both chambers on Nov. 8.

On Tuesday afternoon, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Rep. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), who heads the Democrats' campaign arm, held a conference call of their own to update members on the House battlefield. The Democrats face steep odds, needing to flip 30 seats to retake the Speaker's gavel, but they've been emboldened by Trump's recent controversies, and the call focused "primarily" on the damning new video and "the total chaos that has ensued amongst House Republicans since," according to a source on the call.

Butterfield, who's traveled to a dozen states this year campaigning on behalf of Clinton, said the Trump effect has energized African-Americans and millennials, in particular.

"They see the danger of not participating in this election," Butterfield said. "It's going to boost all Democrats, from the White House to the court house."

It's hardly the first time the Black Caucus chairman has accused Trump of campaigning on racial divisions.

Last month, after Trump disavowed his long-held claims that President Obama might not have been born in the United States, Butterfield and a host of CBC members teed off on the GOP nominee with charges of overt racism.

Trump's office did not respond Tuesday to a request for comment.