Atlanta, May 24 (RHC)-- Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter says presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump is tapping into the "inherent racism" in American society to promote his election campaign. 

In an interview with The New York Times, Carter said Trump is just one example of Republican animosity toward America's first Black president, Barack Obama, that exudes a "heavy racial overtone."  And "[Trump] has tapped a waiting reservoir there of inherent racism," he said of the New York businessman.

The 91-year-old Nobel peace laureate also said Trump's call for a ban on Muslims entering the United States undermines global human rights.

Jimmy Carter served as U.S. president from 1977 to 1981.  A year after leaving the White House, he founded the Carter Center in Atlanta to promote healthcare, democracy and other issues.

Carter was awarded the Nobel Peace prize in 2002 for his commitment to finding peaceful solutions to international conflicts and his work for human rights and the promotion of democracy.