CNN anchor Victor Blackwell got personal as he reported on President Donald Trump’s unhinged attack against Rep. Elijah Cummings, noting that the commander in chief used a word that he seems to reserve for “black and brown people.” Blackwell began by reading Trump’s Saturday morning tweets and then noting that Trump used a particular word, “Infested.” The use of that word doesn’t seem to be coincidental. “That’s usually reserved for references to rodents and insects, but we’ve seen the president invoke infestation to criticize lawmakers before,” he said.

CNN then put a graphic of lawmakers of color whom Trump has attacked using similar language. “You see a pattern here?” Blackwell asked. “Just two weeks ago President Trump attacked 4 minority congresswomen, why don’t they go back to the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came?”

President Trump tweeted that Rep. Elijah Cummings’ district is a “rodent infested mess” where “no human being would want to live.”



It’s @VictorBlackwell’s home district.



“When he tweets about infestation, it's about black and brown people,” Blackwell says. pic.twitter.com/VeCIIvQ4SJ — CNN (@CNN) July 27, 2019

The CNN anchor then pointed out that while Trump has tweeted “more than 43,000 times” and “insulted thousands of people” when he “tweets about infestation, it’s about black and brown people.” He then proceeded to cite several examples of the way he has used that word in the past.

“The president says, about Congressman Cummings’ district,” Blackwell said, before stopping for 11 seconds as he choked up. “That no human would want to live there,” Blackwell finally went on as his voice cracked. “You know who did, Mr President? I did. From the day I was brought home from the hospital until the day I left for college.” Blackwell seemed to be struggling not to tear up as he went on: “I don’t want to sound self-righteous, but people get up and go to work there, they care for their families there, they love their children who pledge allegiance to the flag just like people who live in districts of congressmen who support you sir. They are Americans too.”