Los Angeles mayor claims ‘thin-skinned’ Trump has done ‘plenty of racist things’

'We do have a president, a commander in chief, who is using race to divide us'

Mayor Eric Garcettie pictured with former Vice President Joe Biden (AP)

The mayor of Los Angeles has accused Donald Trump of having done “plenty of racist things” in an effort to divide Americans.

Democrat Eric Garcetti, who was re-elected last year, called the president “thin-skinned” and “ineffective” in an assessment of the president’s performance in office.

He suggested Mr Trump had not fulfilled a number of his campaign promises, such as delivering a better health care plan than Obamacare.

Mr Trump has publicly vowed to “let Obamacare fail”. After Republicans failed to get Obamacare repealed in Congress, the Trump administration rolled out various rules and proposals on healthcare, including short-term health plans.

A lawsuit filed by four cities earlier this month claimed the Trump administration’s actions on health care were harmful to society, like its short-term plans where insurance providers can deny customers with pre-existing conditions.

Speaking to Associated Press, Mr Garcetti said: “We need to show this is not a strong man, this is a thin-skinned and ineffective person who isn’t saying everything wrong, he’s bringing up some good points, but he’s not producing anything

“And then the rest of the time he’s dividing us and trying to take things away from us.”

The Los Angeles mayor added that while racism “lives in everybody”, Mr Trump “seems to be much more comfortable with his racism, letting it out".

Mr Trump has faced a wave of widespread scrutiny for recently referring to former White House staffer Omarosa Manigault Newman as a “dog” on Twitter.

Many have since suggested that using such dehumanising language towards a black woman – referring to her as subhuman – is both racist and sexist. Mr Trump has previously referred to NFL players protesting racial discrimination as "sons of b******" and Congresswoman Maxine Waters as a “low IQ” person.

“We do have a president, a commander in chief, who is using race to divide us,” Mr Garcetti said. “And not just race – immigration status, geography. He wants to divide us by these kind of essential categories, to point fingers.”

He added: “He certainly has done plenty of racist things”.

Ms Manigault Newman has accused Mr Trump of using the N-word, which she alleges is captured on a recorded tape. The US president has denied using the racial slur.

Mr Garcetti, considering a 2020 presidential run, said he would make a decision on running by March.