Donald Trump has been mocked for repeatedly reading out the lyrics penned by a black civil rights activist and skewing the meaning to suit his anti-immigration and anti-Democratic values

Donald Trump read out a disturbing poem called ‘The Snake’ during a campaign rally and critics couldn’t help but point out the irony.

The US President repeated the odd composition before hundreds of supporters during an election event in Hickory, North Carolina, on Sunday – but the meaning appears to have been skewed.

He has recited it before – most prominently during his 2016 campaign – but also since taking up his post at the White House, including at a conservative CPAC forum in February 2018.

For Trump it serves as a cautionary tale about the danger of illegal immigrants, with the lyrics featuring a woman who foolishly embraces a dangerous predator.