Berkeley, California - What is the effect of what’s being said on the campaign trail by Donald Trump and other presidential candidates? And when does political rhetoric turn into action?

Maria Hinojosa, host of NPR’s Latino U.S.A., recently explored these questions with a leading thinker on the evolution of U.S. racism, Berkeley Law professor Ian Haney López.

According to the Berkeley prof, Trump’s rhetoric may stand out for its venom, but he’s “following a playbook that’s by now is 50 years old.” Its message to white voters: fear people of color and “vote for politicians who promise to protect you from threatening minorities, but in fact are serving the interests of the very rich.” His most recent book is titled Dog Whistle Politics.

Listen to their conversation about the changing nature of political rhetoric around race.