Story highlights Booker has regularly criticized Trump

He said he's not thinking about the 2020 election yet

Washington (CNN) Sen. Cory Booker offered a searing assessment of political discourse in the country and called on his fellow politicians to do better in an interview that aired Sunday on CNN's "State of the Union."

"There is something seriously wrong when mendacity has become the norm," Booker told anchor Jake Tapper when asked if President Donald Trump has set the current tone. "There is something seriously wrong when law-abiding citizens are afraid to leave their home. There is something seriously wrong when hate-crimes are surging. There is something seriously wrong."

The New Jersey Democrat called on leaders to improve the political climate and lift people out of what he said was becoming a "toxic environment."

"If you consider yourself a leader, you have an obligation to stand up and do something about it, and lead with love and not appealing to peoples' darker angels," Booker said.

Asked if he is the leader he is talking about and also whether he intends to challenge Trump in the next election, Booker demurred, saying he was focused on the present political situation, not future elections.

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