Bernie Sanders defends "ghetto" remark that sparked outrage during debate with Hillary Clinton in Flint, Michigian In clarifying his "ghetto" debate gaffe, Sanders again struggles to divorce issues of race and economics

During the Democratic debate in Flint, Michigan, Sunday night, Sen. Bernie Sanders said, "When you are white, you don't know what its like to be living in a ghetto, you don't know what it's like to be poor." Some have taken exception to Sanders' racially charged use of the term "ghetto."

In an attempt to clarify his position and subdue the backlash, Sanders on Monday told NBC News, "What I meant to say when you talk about ghettos, traditionally what you're talking about is African-American communities."

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"What I meant by that is, I think that many white people are not aware of the kinds of pressures and the kind of police oppression that sometimes takes place within the African-American community," Sanders continued. "In the African-American communities, you have police officers abusing people, and that is the point that I tried to make."

Watch below via NBC News: