Former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe ripped President Donald Trump several times during an interview on CNN.
McAuliffe, a Democrat who left office in January due to term limits, said his routinely fiery comments put soldiers in harm's way around the world.
"Disgraceful. Disgusting. He just continues to hurt the prestige of the United States of America," McAuliffe, a former DNC chairman and longtime Clinton confidant, said.
"[President Trump has] to understand this is a grown-up job, and he's got to start acting like it." Former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe says Trump "embarrasses us." cnn.it/2EGd5XV
Asked by host Jake Tapper if he thought Trump is a racist, McAuliffe demurred, responding that he "certainly thinks he makes racist comments."
McAuliffe accused Trump of "being run" by White House aide Stephen Miller, who has recently engaged in heated debates on political issues.
McAuliffe said that Trump's main goal with immigration reform is to get "a deal to announce" and have his approval ratings go up, but that such a plan is stymied by politically-motivated people like Miller.
"Stephen Miller did not get elected president of the United States of America," he said.
On DACA policy itself, McAuliffe said America is "losing" 1,200 DREAMers per day through failure to protect their status, adding that if the trend continues it could cost allegedly $460 billion over ten years.
The Syracuse, N.Y. native also reacted to a response he gave on MSNBC earlier in the week when he said "you'd have to pick [Trump] up off the floor" if he physically intimidated him during a presidential debate.
McAuliffe told Tapper he would not assault Trump, but only "push back gently" if he got in his personal space, as some have accused the president of doing in the presence of Hillary Clinton.
The governor, however, would not confirm or deny he plans to challenge Trump himself in 2020, adding that he is more focused on working on a new endeavor with several sitting governors.
