'Trump is a racist': Bob Schieffer attacks The Apprentice host... as liberals desert reality show in protest at anti-Obama campaign



Trump: 'I am the last person this should be said about.'

A senior CBS news anchor today labelled Donald Trump's campaign to raise doubts about President Obama's school grades as an 'ugly strain of racism'.

Face The Nation host Bob Schieffer made the comments in the wake of Mr Trump's calls yesterday for Mr Obama to release college transcripts 'proving' he had the grades to enter Columbia and Harvard.

The attack came as new research suggested viewers for Celebrity Apprentice - some of the most liberal for any TV show - were deserting the program due to Mr Trump's outspoken rants against Mr Obama.

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Outspoken: Bob Schieffer (seen here with his wife Patricia) has attacked Donald Trump for casting doubt on the President's academic records

Ratings: It was suggested viewers were deserting Celebrity Apprentice due to the TV show's host and his attacks on Mr Obama

The furore came soon after the President released his full birth certificate - finally putting the question of his citizenship beyond reasonable doubt.

Yesterday Mr Trump called on the President to release his college transcripts.

Reacting to the call, Mr Schieffer said: 'That's just code for saying he got into law school because he's black.

'This is an ugly strain of racism that's running through this whole thing.'

Earlier in the day Mr Trump had hinted that the President did not earn the grades at his first college Occidental to allow him to enter the two prestigious Ivy league schools.

He said: 'I have friends who have smart sons with great marks, great boards, great everything and they can't get into Harvard.



'We don't know a thing about this guy. There are a lot of questions that are unanswered about our President.'

In a separate interview given moments after Mr Obama released the birth certificate, Trump said: 'I'd like to know how does he get into Harvard, how does he get into Columbia if he isn't a very good student.

'If he wants to release it that's fine, if he doesn't want to release it that's fine too. But the word is he wasn't a very good student.'

The issue of whether he was born in the U.S. has dogged the President since his 2008 campaign.

So-called 'birthers' - a group of Republicans, right wing 'Tea Party' activists and high profile personalities such as Mr Trump - all maintained that the President was not born on American soil, and therefore was ineligible under the U.S. constitution to hold office.

Relaxed: Barack Obama and first lady, Michelle Obama seen here filming their appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show yesterday

Rumours: Barack Obama rubbished rumours he was not born in the U.S. yesterday, before flying to New York for a fund raiser

They speculated he was born in either Kenya or Indonesia, and that his determined refusal to prove otherwise by releasing a full birth certificate was proof that he had something to hide.

Birthers also maintained that the original 'long' certificate was being with held as it would list Obama's religion as 'Muslim'.



In recent months Mr Trump, who has talked about a potential run for the 2012 Presidential election, captured the doubts of a growing number of Americans - repeatedly hammering Obama to release the certificate and finally put the debate to bed.

Proof: The White House released Mr Obama's full birth certificate yesterday in a bid to kill the 'birther' movement

Today Mr Trump hit back at Mr Schieffer's comments, telling TMZ: 'That is a terrible statement for a newscaster to make.

'I am the last person that such a thing should be said about. 'Affirmative action is out there. It's a program that is available. 'But I have no idea whether it applies in this case. I'm not suggesting anything.' Mr Obama first attended Occidental College in California, then Columbia University and Harvard Law.

In his biography Dreams From My Father, he admitted that his early grades weren’t good, but he never released his college transcripts. Ever since, there have been rumblings from his detractors, including Mr Trump, calling for the transcripts to prove he 'earned' his places at Columbia and Harvard. Research reveals Celebrity Apprentice viewers are the most Democratic in prime time TV

Viewing figures for this year's Celebrity Apprentice, which were initially up on last years, have dipped since Donald Trump ramped up his attacks on the President

The spat between the two TV personalities comes as startling new research has revealed Mr Trump's reality TV show , Celebrity Apprentice, is mainly watched by Democrats - and not Republicans as previously thought.

Previously it was thought in some quarters that Mr Trump's will-he, won't-he presidential posturing was simply a publicity stunt to boost ratings for the show.

But new evidence from The Atlantic shows audiences for the flamboyant billionaire's prime time programme are down on the same time last year.

The new research would suggest the show's mostly liberal audience are tuning out as Mr Trump continues his increasingly isolated views on the President's academic record.



Will Feltus, the senior vice president for research at National Media, said: 'I was surprised to find that the 'Celebrity Apprentice' was so liberal, because the audience for 'Survivor' is fairly Republican.