Obama: Nearly all income gains for top 1%

President Barack Obama has said reversing US economic inequality should be Washington's top priority, in a speech that touted the country's slow but steady recovery.

But that recovery has not translated to a stronger middle class, Mr Obama said at Knox College in Illinois.

"Even though our businesses are creating new jobs and have broken record profits, nearly all the income gains of the past 10 years have continued to flow to the top 1%," Mr Obama said, calling on his opponents to end a "parade of distractions".