US PRESIDENT Donald Trump has been branded a racist by a newly elected congresswoman, who accused him of using words which are “historic dog whistles of white supremacy.”

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who, at 29, became the youngest ever congresswoman when she was sworn in last week, was speaking to US broadcaster CBS when she made the claims, calling Mr Trump a “symptom of the problem.”

The Democratic Party lawmaker said: “When you look at the words that he uses, which are historic dog whistles of white supremacy, when you look at how he reacted to the Charlottesville incident, where neonazis murdered a woman, versus how he manufactures crises like immigrants seeking legal refuge on our borders, it’s night and day.”