CNN’s Van Jones brought on Rick Santorum and Ana Navarro to his primetime special The Messy Truth tonight, and at one point Jones and Navarro got in a spirited back-and-forth with Santorum about Trump’s rhetoric about Muslims and whether it’s connected to a rise in hate crimes.
Jones brought up the fear Muslim children across America have, while Navarro pressed Santorum on the hate crimes issue when Trump essentially “released the Kraken.”
Santorum shot back that Trump isn’t responsible for people who “misinterpret” his meaning when he talks about terrorism. And he told Jones and Navarro that when they say things like “whitelash” and attack Trump as being anti-Muslim, that’s why people get worked up.
A Muslim guest in the audience asked Santorum about whether Trump will ensure the safety of American Muslims. Santorum said that anyone concerned about their religious liberty should feel better under President Trump than President Obama.
Navarro said it’s now up to Americans to bring to light “the hurt and the fear” that exists across the country, while Santorum insisted that there are lots of minorities in this country who just want someone to address the condition that they are living in.
Watch above, via CNN.