Donald Trump Defends Tweet Directed at Bill Clinton: ‘I Don't Believe He Is a Racist’

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said he doesn't "believe" former President Bill Clinton is a racist.

Trump's statement Tuesday during an appearance on NBC's "Today Show" came after he tweeted Monday that Clinton had been “called a racist." Trump defended his tweet on the program, the Associated Press said.

"I don't believe he is a racist, if you want to know the truth," Trump said.

Trump tweeted that the last time the former president campaigned for his wife during her 2008 presidential run, Bill Clinton “was called a racist.”

Trump may have been referencing “conflicts between Bill Clinton and some black leaders during the 2008 campaign in which the black community largely backed Obama," the AP said.

Trump reiterated his recent position that the former president and his scandals are "fair game" if Hillary Clinton plays the "woman’s card" during the presidential campaign.

Trump characterized the former president’s sex scandals as “totally unimportant” during a 2008 interview on CNN.

Bill Clinton is scheduled to campaign for Hillary Clinton in New Hampshire next month.