Trump news – live: President claims to be ‘least racist person’ as crowd taunts 'you can't send us back, Virginia is our home'

Donald Trump has insisted he is “the least racist person in the world” after once more becoming embroiled in a racism row, this time involving senior Democrat Elijah Cummings, the Reverend Al Sharpton and the city of Baltimore.

The president told reporters on the White House South Lawn he had been inundated with supportive letters and emails from African-Americans after describing the Maryland port city as “a disgusting, rat and rodent infested mess” where “no human being would want to live” over the weekend, prompting an angry backlash that saw the Reverend Sharpton accuse Mr Trump of retaining “a particular venom for people of colour”.

Also demanding that The Washington Post apologise for branding Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell a “Russian asset”, Mr Trump turned on his heel to set out for Jamestown, Virginia, where he spoke at an event commemorating the 400th anniversary of the Virginia General Assembly, which Virginia Legislative Black Caucus members boycotted in response to his latest provocation.

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