Trump accused of distorting history of Mexican-American War to justify heavy hand in Latin America

Historians and observers have accused the Trump administration trying to rewrite American history to justify its own foreign policy decisions toward Latin America by posting a “historically inaccurate” version of the Mexican-American War. The Monday post by the White House commemorated the anniversary of the war and described the conflict as “legendary victory that secured the American Southwest, reasserted American sovereignty.” The post compared the troubled period in U.S. history to its own increasingly aggressive policies toward Latin America, which it said were “to ensure the Hemisphere remains safe.” The White House makes no mention of the key role slavery played in the war and glorifies the “Manifest Destiny” period, which displaced of hundreds of thousands of Native Americans.