Letterman calls Trump a racist and says he should apologize

Late night television host David Letterman accused real estate baron and potential Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump of racism and suggested banning Trump from reappearing on his show unless he apologizes for his remarks.

Suggesting real estate billionaire and controversial potential Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is a racist, late night television talk show personality David Letterman believes Mr. Trump should apologize for remarks the candidate made regarding President Obama's ability to get into Harvard Law School. "I heard he was a terrible student, terrible. How does a bad student go to Columbia and then to Harvard?" Trump told AP on Monday, according to a CBS News report. "I'm thinking about it, I'm certainly looking into it. Let him show his records." While Trump's comments may have implied accusations as to President Obama's honesty, it is not necessarily clear that his inquiries are coming from a racist motivation. "If the sons of his presumably wealthy friends couldn't get into Harvard with great credentials, then how could a person from Mr. Obama's humble background and academic achievements get into Harvard? Trump's inference is that Mr. Obama is a cipher, cannot be trusted and is concealing a dark secret," Dan Farber reported for CBS News. But David Letterman is not seeing Trump's remarks through the same lens. "It's all fun, it's all a circus, it's all a rodeo, until it starts to smack of racism. And then it's no longer fun," Letterman told Dr. Phil McGraw, a friend of Mr. Trump. McGraw attempted to defend Trump's comments, suggesting the real estate baron does not always consider how his remarks can be spun. However, Letterman would not be swayed. "If he comes back on this show, and I am not sure we want him back on this show under these circumstances, he ought to be prepared to apologize just for that kind of behavior," Letterman concluded. Mr. Trump has yet to formally announce his intentions with regard to a US presidential bid, but he maintains that he will detail his plans one way or the other by early June at the latest.