"As a nation, we have got to apologize for slavery" Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., said during a recent Sirius XM interview.

Host Joe Madison of Sirius XM's "The Black Eagle" asked Sanders, "If elected president of the United States, would you apologize for slavery?"

"You know, obviously, nobody in this generation is involved in slavery," replied Sanders. "But as a nation, slavery is one of the abominations that our country has experienced. There is no excuse. What can we say about it? It was horrific, it killed millions of people who never made it even across the oceans, and it destroyed just the lives of so many people."

"So as a nation – and I don't think as a president, but as a nation – we have got to apologize for slavery, of course," Sanders said.

"So is that a yes or a no?" asked Madison.

"Well, it's … I mean … I'm not exactly sure what it means," replied Sanders haltingly. "As a nation, we have got to apologize for slavery; and of course, the president is the leader of the nation."

While a recent poll found that Sanders trailed Democrat rival Hillary Clinton by only 12 points in New Hampshire, Sanders garners the support of only 5 percent of black Democrats according to a poll by Fox News.

The latest RealClearPolitics poll shows Clinton leading Sanders in the Democrat nomination by 48 points.