In his first speech as president, Donald Trump declared he would be putting 'America First'- a phrase with an anti-Semitic history later claimed by former KKK grand wizard David Duke.

During his inaugural address on Friday, Trump said: 'From this day forward, a new vision will govern our land. From this moment on, it’s going to be America First.'

While crowds on the national mall cheered, many viewers were left uneasy given the phrase's link to the America First Committee, an anti-war group that formed in 1940.

In 1941, Charles Lindbergh gave a speech on behalf of the group, warning of the 'dangers' of 'the Jewish race', which he claimed wanted to embroil the US in WWII.

During his inaugural address on Friday, Trump said: 'From this day forward, a new vision will govern our land. From this moment on, it’s going to be America First'

While crowds on the national mall cheered, many viewers were left uneasy given the phrase's link to the America First Committee, an anti-war group that formed in 1940

Lindbergh, famous for his flight across the Atlantic, once wrote that the Western nations 'can have peace and security only so long as we band together to preserve that most priceless possession, our inheritance of European blood.'

He was later tapped as a spokesperson for the AFC, which was first formed by a group of Yale students and went on to attract a number of pacifists and celebrities as well as anti-Semites.

On September 11, 1941, Lindbergh gave a speech in Des Moines, Iowa, and acknowledged Nazi's Germany's treatment of Jews.

He said: 'It is not difficult to understand why Jewish people desire the overthrow of Nazi Germany. The persecution they suffered in Germany would be sufficient to make bitter enemies of any race.'

But he went on to blame 'the Jewish race' for wanting to involve the US in WWII, and said: 'Their greatest danger to this country lies in their large ownership and influence in our motion pictures, our press, our radio, and our government.'

Even in 1941, Lindbergh faced a swift backlash. The San Francisco Chronicle accused him of speaking 'the words of Hitler' while others accused him of being 'pro-Nazi', CNN reported.

Lindbergh gave a speech in Des Moines, Iowa, and blamed 'the Jewish race' for wanting to involve the US in WWII

He also said: 'Their greatest danger to this country lies in their large ownership and influence in our motion pictures, our press, our radio, and our government' (pictured, an AFC rally in Fort Wayne, Indiana)

Trump has repeatedly used 'America First' throughout his campaign, despite the Anti-Defamation League's request in April for him to 'reconsider his use of the phrase'.

The ADL's CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said: 'The undercurrents of anti-Semitism and bigotry that characterized the America First movement – including the assumption that Jews who opposed the movement had their own agenda and were not acting in America’s best interest – is fortunately not a major concern today.

'However, for many Americans, the term ‘America First’ will always be associated with and tainted by this history.

'In a political season that already has prompted a national conversation about civility and tolerance, choosing a call to action historically associated with incivility and intolerance seems ill-advised.'

Trump explained his view that countries had been 'freeloading' off the US - an idea he repeatedly used at rallies on the campaign trail.

The phrase 'America First' was also adopted by former KKK grand wizard David Duke

When he was later confronted by the New York Times, Trump distanced himself from the past, saying: 'It was used as a brand-new, very modern term.'

He clarified that he wanted to 'take care of this country first before we worry about everybody else in the world.'

David Duke, who claimed credit for Trump's victory and said his people played 'a huge role' in the elections, declared 'America First Foreign Policy!' on the website for his failed Senate run in Louisiana.

Duke tweeted on Friday afternoon: 'Dr. David Duke "Trump Inauguration Speech Declares War on the Neocons & Promotes Our Slogan "America First!"