Large numbers of Americans say they think President Donald Trump's policies have made things worse for African-Americans, Hispanics and Muslims. And more than half say the president himself is a racist.
A new poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds that 57 percent of Americans think Trump's policies have been bad for Muslims, and 56 percent think they've been bad for Hispanics. Forty-seven percent, including three-quarters of blacks, think they've been bad for African-Americans.
Fifty-seven percent of all adults say they think Trump is a racist. The poll finds that 85 percent of Democrats consider Trump racist, but just 21 percent of Republicans agree.
Trump has rejected accusations of racism, telling reporters at one point, "I am the least racist person you have ever interviewed."
Trump, who took office in January 2017, was elected in November of the previous year. In August, Trump came under fire for saying "both sides" were to blame for the violence at a white supremacist rally in Virginia where a counter-protester was killed. The Republican president was also criticized for a string of anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim comments, including using a vulgar term to describe Haiti and African countries last month.
"President Trump's first year in office proved to be just as racially divisive as his campaign - but even more consequential," the SPLC said in its "The Year in Hate and Extremism" report released on Feb. 21.
The report counts hate groups of all kinds; extremist anti-government militias, anti-Semitic groups, anti-Muslim, anti-immigrant, and others in all 50 states of the country. It also for the first time two male supremacy groups which the SPLC said vilify women.
