SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
To donate by check, phone, or other method, see our More Ways to Give page.
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
US President Donald Trump delivers remarks following a meeting on infrastructure at Trump Tower, August 15, 2017 in New York City. He fielded questions from reporters about his comments on the events in Charlottesville, Virginia and white supremacists. (Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
After largely sticking to the script on Monday, President Donald Trump "showed his true colors" once again at an impromptu press conference Tuesday at Trump Tower, where he suggested that white supremacists and counter demonstrators were both to blame for the deadly violence that broke out in Charlottesville, Virginia over the weekend, and argued that torch-wielding neo-Nazis were merely expressing peaceful disagreement with the planned removal of a statue of Robert E. Lee.
"The president of the United States just defended neo-Nazis and blamed those who condemn their racism and hate. This is sick."
--Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.)
In what many observers characterized as an "unhinged" display for a president, Trump repeatedly assured reporters that he watched the events that unfolded over the weekend "very closely," and came away with the conclusion that anti-racist protesters--who Trump claims "came charging in without a permit"--were "very violent," and argued that there were many "good people" among the white supremacists who participated in the so-called "Unite the Right" rally on Saturday.
"I think there's blame on both sides and I have no doubt about it," Trump said of the violence that left one woman dead and dozens injured.
Watch:
\u201cPresident Trump: "I think there's blame on both sides and I have no doubt about it" https://t.co/fa7ilqOa16\u201d— NBC News (@NBC News) 1502828364
The president also defended his delayed response to the white supremacist violence, saying he likes to "wait for the facts before commenting"--a rule that is evidently suspended when the perpetrators are thought to be Muslim.
"Making the statement when I made it was excellent," Trump said.
Watch:
\u201cPresident Trump on the timing of his Charlottesville statements: "Making the statement when I made it was excellent" https://t.co/SIDuNsJ4xZ\u201d— CNN Politics (@CNN Politics) 1502828177
In an echo of Saturday, when Trump was praised by neo-Nazis for blaming "many sides" for the violence in Charlottesville, David Duke--former grand wizard of the KKK--thanked Trump following the Tuesday press conference for telling the "truth" about "leftist terrorists."
Among non-white supremacists, the reaction to Trump's comments was a mixture of horror and dismay. MSNBC commentator Chuck Todd said the press conference gave him "chills," and the Anne Frank Center called the president's remarks "nauseating" and "racist."
"This is unconscionable," concluded The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights.
"Trump is on camera right now defending the white supremacists at Charlottesville. Saying many were good people. No joke," wrote activist and New York Daily News writer Shaun King. "It's disgusting."
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), writing shortly after the press conference came to a close, expressed similar outrage.
"The president of the United States just defended neo-Nazis and blamed those who condemn their racism and hate," Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) declared on Twitter. "This is sick."
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
After largely sticking to the script on Monday, President Donald Trump "showed his true colors" once again at an impromptu press conference Tuesday at Trump Tower, where he suggested that white supremacists and counter demonstrators were both to blame for the deadly violence that broke out in Charlottesville, Virginia over the weekend, and argued that torch-wielding neo-Nazis were merely expressing peaceful disagreement with the planned removal of a statue of Robert E. Lee.
"The president of the United States just defended neo-Nazis and blamed those who condemn their racism and hate. This is sick."
--Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.)
In what many observers characterized as an "unhinged" display for a president, Trump repeatedly assured reporters that he watched the events that unfolded over the weekend "very closely," and came away with the conclusion that anti-racist protesters--who Trump claims "came charging in without a permit"--were "very violent," and argued that there were many "good people" among the white supremacists who participated in the so-called "Unite the Right" rally on Saturday.
"I think there's blame on both sides and I have no doubt about it," Trump said of the violence that left one woman dead and dozens injured.
Watch:
\u201cPresident Trump: "I think there's blame on both sides and I have no doubt about it" https://t.co/fa7ilqOa16\u201d— NBC News (@NBC News) 1502828364
The president also defended his delayed response to the white supremacist violence, saying he likes to "wait for the facts before commenting"--a rule that is evidently suspended when the perpetrators are thought to be Muslim.
"Making the statement when I made it was excellent," Trump said.
Watch:
\u201cPresident Trump on the timing of his Charlottesville statements: "Making the statement when I made it was excellent" https://t.co/SIDuNsJ4xZ\u201d— CNN Politics (@CNN Politics) 1502828177
In an echo of Saturday, when Trump was praised by neo-Nazis for blaming "many sides" for the violence in Charlottesville, David Duke--former grand wizard of the KKK--thanked Trump following the Tuesday press conference for telling the "truth" about "leftist terrorists."
Among non-white supremacists, the reaction to Trump's comments was a mixture of horror and dismay. MSNBC commentator Chuck Todd said the press conference gave him "chills," and the Anne Frank Center called the president's remarks "nauseating" and "racist."
"This is unconscionable," concluded The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights.
"Trump is on camera right now defending the white supremacists at Charlottesville. Saying many were good people. No joke," wrote activist and New York Daily News writer Shaun King. "It's disgusting."
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), writing shortly after the press conference came to a close, expressed similar outrage.
"The president of the United States just defended neo-Nazis and blamed those who condemn their racism and hate," Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) declared on Twitter. "This is sick."
After largely sticking to the script on Monday, President Donald Trump "showed his true colors" once again at an impromptu press conference Tuesday at Trump Tower, where he suggested that white supremacists and counter demonstrators were both to blame for the deadly violence that broke out in Charlottesville, Virginia over the weekend, and argued that torch-wielding neo-Nazis were merely expressing peaceful disagreement with the planned removal of a statue of Robert E. Lee.
"The president of the United States just defended neo-Nazis and blamed those who condemn their racism and hate. This is sick."
--Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.)
In what many observers characterized as an "unhinged" display for a president, Trump repeatedly assured reporters that he watched the events that unfolded over the weekend "very closely," and came away with the conclusion that anti-racist protesters--who Trump claims "came charging in without a permit"--were "very violent," and argued that there were many "good people" among the white supremacists who participated in the so-called "Unite the Right" rally on Saturday.
"I think there's blame on both sides and I have no doubt about it," Trump said of the violence that left one woman dead and dozens injured.
Watch:
\u201cPresident Trump: "I think there's blame on both sides and I have no doubt about it" https://t.co/fa7ilqOa16\u201d— NBC News (@NBC News) 1502828364
The president also defended his delayed response to the white supremacist violence, saying he likes to "wait for the facts before commenting"--a rule that is evidently suspended when the perpetrators are thought to be Muslim.
"Making the statement when I made it was excellent," Trump said.
Watch:
\u201cPresident Trump on the timing of his Charlottesville statements: "Making the statement when I made it was excellent" https://t.co/SIDuNsJ4xZ\u201d— CNN Politics (@CNN Politics) 1502828177
In an echo of Saturday, when Trump was praised by neo-Nazis for blaming "many sides" for the violence in Charlottesville, David Duke--former grand wizard of the KKK--thanked Trump following the Tuesday press conference for telling the "truth" about "leftist terrorists."
Among non-white supremacists, the reaction to Trump's comments was a mixture of horror and dismay. MSNBC commentator Chuck Todd said the press conference gave him "chills," and the Anne Frank Center called the president's remarks "nauseating" and "racist."
"This is unconscionable," concluded The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights.
"Trump is on camera right now defending the white supremacists at Charlottesville. Saying many were good people. No joke," wrote activist and New York Daily News writer Shaun King. "It's disgusting."
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), writing shortly after the press conference came to a close, expressed similar outrage.
"The president of the United States just defended neo-Nazis and blamed those who condemn their racism and hate," Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) declared on Twitter. "This is sick."