Donald Trump wants to clear a few things up.
He has not insulted blacks or Asians. He is not Islamophobic. He has many Muslim friends. He is the least racist person Don Lemon knows.
And he is going to win the African-American vote.
Or so he said during an interview Wednesday on CNN Tonight With Don Lemon. The Republican presidential candidate told Lemon that his controversial proposed ban on Muslims entering the U.S. is what is needed to stop domestic terrorism.
"I have to do what's right. We need a dialogue in this country and throughout the world. We have a big problem," Trump said. "And as you know, I have many friends who are Muslims. They're phenomenal people. They are so happy at what I'm doing.
"I was called by three people today, very big. They said, 'You are doing a tremendous service because unless people are going to be talking about it, it's never going to be solved.' "
When Lemon asked about the backlash Trump has received from high-ranking members of his own party, Trump noted that most of it is coming from those who are running against him.
"I'm getting criticism from people that are running against me that have no poll numbers," he said. "I mean, they're doing very poorly. I see Jeb Bush and this one and that one, and they're—they're criticizing me, although Jeb Bush actually said some very good things about me the other day."
Trump, who believes that he is on the right side of history when it comes to leading the discussion about terrorism in the U.S., pointed to his equally controversial stances on illegal immigration and said that some people eventually embraced his position.
"So when I did the whole thing on illegal immigration and Mexico and the border, I got much more criticism than I'm getting right now. And everybody said, 'Oh, that's going to be the end, that's going to be a disaster,' and three weeks later, everybody agreed with me, that I was right. They all came onto my side."
At one point in the interview, Lemon stated bluntly that while on the campaign trail, Trump has insulted blacks, Asians and women, to which Trump replied, "I know, and I haven't insulted blacks. I haven't insulted Asians."
Lemon questioned Trump about a controversial and ultimately inaccurate tweet he posted to his Twitter account stating that 81 percent of whites were killed by blacks in 2014, when only 14 percent were.
Trump brushed that off as a retweet, noting that he didn't create it.
Lemon then asked flatly, "Are you racist?"
"I am the least racist person that you have ever met. I am the least racist person," Trump said.
Lemon also asked the Republican front-runner if he was bigoted or Islamophobic, to which Trump replied, "No."
Trump added that being considered a racist or a bigot doesn't bother him because he knows that those labels are false.
"No, if things are true, if that were true, it would bother me tremendously, OK. But of course, if you're a racist, you probably wouldn't care," Trump said. "But if things are true, it would bother me. But if it's—it's so false, and honestly, I don't hear it often. I don't hear it often."
Trump then added: "Actually, let me go a step further. A poll was taken recently where as a Republican, which is unheard of, I had 25 percent of the black vote. So, African Americans, 25 percent for Trump.
"A political pundit said, 'Wow, if that's true, the election is over; Trump wins.' I think I'm going to win the African-American vote, and I think I'm going to win the Hispanic vote."
Watch the interview here: CNN Tonight With Don Lemon.