Bernie Sanders Just Summed Up Everything Wrong With Donald Trump's Islamophobia

For Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Donald Trump serves as the perfect political foil. 

While Sanders rallies supporters of his presidential campaign to combat the "billionaire class," the brash real estate tycoon boasts of the billions of dollars he's made as a developer and reality star. And while Sanders seeks to garner support from a cross-section of demographic groups, The Donald derides Mexican immigrants as "rapists" and calls for a "total and complete" ban on Muslims entering the United States.

Trump's proposed Muslim ban has dominated the political conversation since he rolled it out Monday in a press release, and Sanders minced no words in condemning it during Tuesday's appearance on NBC's Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon.

Scapegoating minority groups is part of a long American tradition, Sanders argued — one that distracts the public from the issues that have animated Sanders' campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination.

"Throughout history, you've had demagogues trying to divert attention away from the real issues," Sanders said. "This country today faces some enormous problems. We have a middle class that's disappearing, we have almost all new wealth and income going to the top 1%. We got climate change, we got a corrupt campaign finance system. And what somebody like a Trump is trying to do is supposed to divide us up.

"A few months ago, we were supposed to hate Mexicans, and he thinks they're all criminals and rapists. That kind of crap is not gonna work in the United States of America." 

You can watch Sanders' comments below: