CNN guest Michaela Angela Davis said Wednesday during a discussion about "Roseanne" that all of the Americans who voted from Donald Trump in 2016 are racist.
Davis, a culture critic, writer and self-described image activist, joined CNN's "New Day" to discuss the cancelation of "Roseanne" and Tuesday's cultural sensitivity training at Starbucks.
Host John Berman asked if it is possible Roseanne Barr felt empowered to use brash, racist language because of President Donald Trump's own controversial language.
"When Trump touted her ratings, almost took credit for them, they made their relationship clear," Davis said. "And he's made it more popular, I think, to be openly racist."
"Tens of millions of people voted for him after he showed his cards for years," Davis added.
"Are you suggesting that they're racist?" Berman asked of those who voted for Trump.
"Absolutely, yes. Yes," Davis said.
"All of the people that voted for Donald Trump are racist?" Berman said in an effort to clarify.
"Yes. They may not all be violently racist; they may not be– [Trump's] targeted; he's very clear and strategic. Anti-blackness is a strategy that has been the foundation of the American project," she said.
Co-host Alisyn Camerota interrupted to warn about painting with too broad a brush. She suggested people can vote for a candidate without justifying everything about him, giving the example that many Democrats did as much with Bill Clinton.
"Racism isn't broad," Davis responded. "What you're not hearing is there's so many different levels of racism and how it works itself out."