CNN has been heavily criticized for its coverage of Donald Trump s rise and rightfully so. For months, one of the most watched news networks in America deferred to the  both sides  model of false equivalency that had been standard practice for years. Recently, as Trump clinched the Republican nomination and it became clear that he has no intention of being  more presidential,  something in the minds of the network s reporters and hosts  clicked.  They finally seem to get it. Donald Trump is a despicable person and no amount of  he said, she said  is going to blunt that fact.So they ve changed. And in doing so have absolutely upped their game.On a recent episode of At This Hour, hosts John Berman and Kate Bolduan put on a masterclass on how to press a Trump supporter to get right down to the uncomfortable truth at the very root of Trump s campaign. They invited on freshman congressman Lee Zeldin (R-N.Y.) and slowly demolished his talking points. Watching a human being get so thoroughly decimated is never easy, but given Zeldin s baffling support for Trump it s hard to say he didn t have it coming. He knows Trump is a racist   just ask him.After Zeldin tried to dismiss Trump s comments about his Hispanic judge as a  regrettable mistake,  the pair of hosts didn t let him off the hook. If Donald Trump is engaging in racism, are you still comfortable supporting him? Zeldin tried to change the subject, as he no doubt was trained to do. But Bolduan and Berman weren t buying it. After trying to use the opportunity to pivot to bashing Hillary Clinton, Bolduan interrupts. I m not saying Are you now voting for Hillary Clinton? , but are you still endorsing Donald Trump if you think he s engaging in racism? Well, yes, it s Donald Trump vs. Hillary Clinton and it s a no brainer between the two of them Are you essentially saying  Yes he s a racist, but he s our racist ? Boom!Zeldin has to admit that while Trump s comments are indeed racist, he thinks in Trump s  heart  that he isn t a white supremacist. (A tip for any aspiring politicians: If you have to go on national television to tepidly argue that deep inside your candidate isn t as racist as he looks, you ve already lost.)Again Berman holds his feet to the fire: Sorry but what would you call someone who makes racist statements? Everyone calls them a racist. So if Donald Trump is making racist statements, you re saying he s a racist! Hahaha.The exchange ends with Zeldin throwing up the last, most desperate argument he and his party has in their playbook: Trump may be a racist, but Obama is a bigger racist. The look on the hosts  faces is absolutely priceless.Watch the full, cringeworthy exchange below:Featured image via CNN