George Bush calls Kanye West racism claims 'disgusting'

Image source, AFP

Image caption, Kanye West said president George Bush "didn't care about black people"

Former US president George Bush says Kanye West calling him racist on live TV was "an all-time low" in his presidency.

The rapper made the remarks during a benefit concert for victims of Hurricane Katrina back in 2005, saying he "didn't care about black people".

In an interview with NBC's Today show, George Bush says Kanye West accused him of being racist.

He said: "I didn't appreciate it then. I don't appreciate it now."

"It's one thing to say, 'I don't appreciate the way he's handled his business.' It's another thing to say, 'this man's a racist.'

"I resent it, it's not true. And it was one of the most disgusting moments in my presidency."

At the televised fundraiser in New York, Kanye West also claimed America was not set up "to help the poor, the black people, the less well-off as slow as possible".

The star made his accusation after thousands of black people were affected by the hurricane that hit Louisiana and other Gulf Coast states.

Image source, AFP

Image caption, The President flies over New Orleans to see the damage caused by Katrina

George Bush was criticised for his handling of the natural disaster and was photographed on Air Force One above New Orleans as thousands of people were forced to leave their homes.

Nearly 2,000 people died in the hurricane and the flooding that followed.

But the former President said his record was strong "when it came to race relations and giving people a chance".

He gave the interview to NBC to promote his memoir, Decision Points.

George Bush said Kanye West's comments were the low point of his presidency which ended after eight years in 2008.