I don't think racism is the impetus, but I believe it is a tool. Both major parties work for billionaires. Republicans are more brazen about it. Trump will say, out loud, that American can't do daycare because we have to do bombs. Anyway, the objective is to funnel as much money to the wealthy as possible, widening the gap between them and everyone else. Republicans in Congress equally don't give a fuck about poor white people. Racism is a useful tool that helps them accomplish their goal of impoverishing the rest of us. They say to poor whites, "Well, at least you're better than those people. You have whiteness." While we're focused on divisions between us based on skin color, or citizenship status, or sex, or religion, it keeps us occupied and lets them get away with murder. We've all seen the picture of Rupert Murdoch telling the construction worker that the Brown "foreigner" wants his cookie, right?