President Trump today responded to presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden’s allegation that he’s the “first racist president” by again claiming he’s done more for the Black community than anybody except perhaps former President Lincoln.

Trump was asked about Biden’s attack during a press briefing ostensibly intended to focus on the coronavirus pandemic.

Trump responded by highlighting the passage of criminal justice reform and the strength of the economy for minorities prior to the pandemic.

“I’ve done more for Black Americans than anybody, with the possible exception of Abraham Lincoln. Nobody has even been close,” Trump said before turning and leaving the briefing room.

Trump has in the past similarly compared himself to the president who signed the Emancipation Proclamation.

But he has drawn criticism for the comparison and frequent allegations of racism for some of his rhetoric and actions.

Biden, during a town hall with union workers, lashed out at Trump over his use of the term “China virus” to describe the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.

“No sitting president has ever done this,” Biden said of Trump’s rhetoric. “Never, never, never. No Republican president has done this. No Democratic president. We’ve had racists, and they’ve existed. They’ve tried to get elected president. He’s the first one that has.”

Critics were quick to point out that past presidents have used racist language, supported racist policies and in some cases owned slaves.

But Trump has faced frequent allegations of racism since before he took office.

He pushed the baseless conspiracy theory that former President Obama, the country’s first Black president, was not born in the United States.

He has referred to African nations as “shithole countries,” claimed Mexico was sending criminals over the border and suggested four minority congresswomen should “go back” to their countries despite three of them being born in the U.S.

Trump today was asked why he blamed Obama for violence in Chicago in 2016 but has now taken to blaming the city’s mayor for a recent spike in violent crime.

“Because President Obama was invited in and he did a poor job. President Obama could have gone into Chicago,” Trump said. “He could’ve solved the problem, and he didn’t.”

Trump  earlier Wednesday announced a surge in federal agents being sent to Chicago to try to quell the recent violence.

He attacked Mayor Lori Lightfoot (D) during the briefing, saying she’s “making a big mistake” by rejecting federal assistance.

Lightfoot told reporters she believes Trump’s constant criticisms of Democratic mayors is intended as a distraction from his “failed leadership on COVID-19.”

In a nation where it’s difficult to consensus, most Americans agree: Trump has made race relations in the US worse.

That finding comes from an extensive survey and report by the Pew Research Center on race in America published last year.

Analyzing a survey of more than 6,600 adults details Americans’ views on race relations, the n-word, discrimination by the police and criminal justice system, racist jokes, and much more.

The findings are not good for Trump, showing that a majority or plurality agree that Trump has made race relations worse, that people are more likely to express racist views since Trump was elected, and that racist views are more acceptable since Trump’s election.

The same report found, however, that views on race and racism remain deeply polarized by political party — a major barrier to any resolution to heal race relations and combat racism.

Trump launched his 2016 presidential campaign with a speech describing Mexican immigrants as criminals and “rapists.”

He went on to propose a ban on all Muslims entering the US.

Trump said that a judge should recuse himself from a case involving Trump because of the judge’s Mexican heritage.

Trump repeatedly attacked NFL players who knelt and silently protested during the national anthem in demonstrations against systemic racism.

And under Trump’s watch, white nationalists and neo-Nazis held a rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, with attendees, including former KKK grand wizard David Duke, saying that Trump enabled the rally.

Counterprotesters showed up to demonstrate against racism, and the racist protesters responded with violence — and one man rammed his car into a crowd of counterprotesters, killing one and injuring dozens.

Trump’s response?

He argued that “many sides” and “both sides” were to blame for the violence, claiming that there were “some very fine people on both sides” — a comment he never apologized for, even after it was widely interpreted, including by white supremacists, as a dog whistle to white supremacists.

It’s in this context — with many other examples — that Americans say race relations have gotten worse under Trump.