Eric Trump defended his father from accusations of racism on Wednesday by saying the president “sees one color: green”.

In an interview on Fox & Friends, the Fox News morning show that Donald Trump frequently tweets at and about, the president’s son responded to reports that his father had called several Central American and African nations “shithole countries”.

“My father sees one color: green,” Eric Trump told the morning show hosts. “That’s all he cares about.”

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Charged with running the family business with his older brother, Donald Jr, he insisted that the president’s decades as a businessman meant he was not interested in race, the implication being he was motivated by making money. “He cares about the economy, right? He does not see race,” he said. “He’s the least racist person I have ever met in my entire life.”

Last Friday, a senator who met with Trump to discuss immigration asserted that the president had denigrated several countries with “hate-filled, vile and racist” language. Several days of debate followed over exactly what words he used, and, more broadly, about Trump’s long history of similar remarks. On Friday the president initially ignored a reporter who asked “Are you a racist?”, only to declare a few days later: “I am not a racist.”

His son went on to praise low unemployment rates on Trump’s watch, although presidents have limited control or direct influence on the economy, save through the indirect effects of broad policies. “They won’t give him any credit for that and by the way he campaigned on that,” he said. “But then they’ll go out and call him racist. It’s very sad.”

The president’s continued fixation with his businesses – including dozens of weekends spent at Trump-branded properties – has drawn criticism.

Play Video 0:39 ‘Are you a racist?’ Trump questioned over ‘shithole’ comments – video

Despite assurances from members of the Trump family that they would not mix business with politics now that the family’s patriarch is president, he has refused to divest from his holdings or to release his tax returns. His eldest son, charged with running the family business, has actively raised funds for Republicans allies of his father; one of his senior advisers was “counseled” after promoting Trump products; and a former ethics chief called White House practices “no way to run an ethics program”.