Donald Trump says he doesn’t believe Bill Clinton is a racist, just hours after tweeting that the former president had been described that way.

Trump defended himself on NBC’s “Today Show” Tuesday for sending the tweet. He says the former president was called a racist during Hillary Clinton’s 2008 presidential campaign against Barack Obama. But he insists, “I don’t believe he is a racist, if you want to know the truth.”

Trump continued his attacks on Bill Clinton’s record on women. He reiterated that such criticism is “fair game” if Hillary Clinton plays the “woman card” in the presidential campaign.

With the race reference Trump, was apparently referring to conflicts between Bill Clinton and some black leaders during the 2008 campaign in which the black community largely backed Obama.

(AP)