Donald Trump biographer Tony Schwartz claimed the president is “half awed and half frightened by black people” on CNN Wednesday.
WATCH:
Schwartz co-authored “The Art of The Deal” with Trump, but he has since become a critic of the man.
During a segment on “Anderson Cooper 360” about Trump attacking LaVar Ball, Schwartz said, “First of all, [Ball’s] father is a tall black man and I think Trump is half awed and half frightened by black people, and his only way of dealing with them is to attack them.”
He continued, “And, on the other hand, I think he has a zero tolerance for any criticism of any kind, that’s why he goes after anybody who says virtually anything about him that’s negative.”
John Berman, who was guest hosting, said, “Awed and afraid of black people–that’s a big statement right there, based on what?”
Schwartz answered, “Well, I mean, I watched him. He was awed, unequivocally awed during the many times I saw him with members of the team that he owned in the USFL and when he sponsored fights, prize fights. I think he had this kind of ambivalent relationship where he wished he could have been an athlete like they were, and on the other hand, if he felt fear, he always felt aggression. And aggression was–and a need to put them down.”