Trump downplays legacy of slavery in appeal to white voters

President Donald Trump (Evan Vucci/AP)

President Donald Trump has intensified efforts to appeal to his core base of white voters by downplaying the historical legacy of slavery in the United States and blasting efforts to address systemic racism as divisive.

The president’s comments marking the 233rd anniversary of the signing of the Constitution amounted to a defence of white culture and a denunciation of Democrats, the media and others who he accused of trying to indoctrinate school children and shame their parents’ “whiteness”.