Barack Obama predicts US is going to be a ‘browner country’; elicits angry response on Twitter

During his presidential campaign Donald Trump had promised to restrict migrants from entering the US and also filter out many of those already in the country. Whether Trump puts his plan into action or not, President Barack Obama is of the opinion that America will continue to become a "browner country".

In an interview with NPR's Steve Inskeep, the outgoing president said changes to the demographics of the country were "inevitable".

"The Latino community in America is going to grow. If you stopped all immigration today, just by virtue of birth rates, this is going to be a browner country," Obama said.

"And if we're not thinking right now about how we make sure that next generation is getting a good education and are instilled with a common creed and the values that make America so special and are cared for and nurtured and loved the way every American child is treated, then we're not going to be as successful."

Expanding on the subject of race, the Democratic leader moved focus to the attacks between police officers and blacks across the country. "With respect to race and the relationship between the African-American community and police, all these smartphones suddenly taking pictures are not documenting a suddenly worsening relationship between the African-American community and the police," he explained.

"They are recording what has been a long-standing tension and the sense on the part of police that they're put in a very difficult situation of trying to manage law enforcement in poor communities where guns are easily accessible, the African-American community being rightly convinced that there is a long history of racial bias in our criminal justice system."

Apart from the violent escalation, Obama believes that with so much focus on the issue, it is more important than ever to host productive conversations between the two sides.

"And as painful as it is, that conversation is long overdue. If everybody takes a breath, and if we can structure a conversation that is less about 'how somebody else is trying to take advantage of me,' and structure the conversation around 'how can we work together to solve problems that makes everybody better off?' then America can emerge stronger."

Not everyone was happy with Obama's comments on a multi-ethnic America, however. Soon after the interview was released, Twitter came alive with harsh criticism of the president and slammed him for what they considered "racist" comments.