'I've never heard that compared to the N-word!': Panel goes silent after surrogate attempts to defend Trump

After Donald Trump asserted during Wednesday's presidential debate that "we have some bad hombres out there," one CNN panelist said Trump's wording was offensive.

"It's offensive to Hispanics, it's offensive to Mexicans," said Patti Solis Doyle, the panelist and a former aide to current Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.

Jeffrey Lord, a Trump supporter, was also on the panel. He replied, "I've never heard that compared to the N-word!"

The entire group went silent.

Trump's "bad hombres" comment follows a history of questionable rhetoric toward Mexico, including when he opened his presidential campaign last year and asserted that the country is sending "rapists" and "murderers" across the southern US border.

The internet took notice:

Lord apparently tried to use the "N-word" rebuttal as a way to throw cold water on Trump's "bad hombres" comment, but it fell flat on a number of levels - not the least of which being that Trump, throughout his campaign, has employed dog-whistle rhetoric during his rallies.

Much of that rhetoric has targeted women and people of color, among others.

Watch the moment below: