another way to look at it is like this...

while trump may be racist like the rest of them, his racism is a tool of control. now, this comes out of the southern strategy - it's not new, it's a strategy developed in the 60s. but, there's a distance between trump and the rest of them (the worst recent examples are nixon, carter, reagan, clinton and bush, who all followed a southern strategy to win in various ways) in the sense that trump is just trying to win votes and the rest of them were/are truly racists deep in their heart.

reagan's and bush' racism was actually real; trump is just trying to get elected, and is willing to sink to the worst depths to do it. although, let's be real - everybody does this over and over because it works.

if trump is the first of anything, what he is is the first post-modern president. remember post-truth? well, i guess you wouldn't would you - it got dumped in the memory hole. funny, that. but, that's what the reality is.

he's the first president that just legitimately doesn't care. and, he doesn't; he doesn't give a fuck about anything. it's a very different turn, and it might not last (pence is a racist in the more traditional nixon/carter/reagan/clinton/bush sense), but it's here while it lasts.