Trump condemns “repugnant” hate groups in statement,
President had been criticized for initial response to clashes.
Bowing to pressure from the right and left, President Donald Trump condemned white supremacist groups by name Monday, declaring “racism is evil” after two days of pub- lic equivocation and internal White House debate over the deadly race-fueled clashes in Charlottesville, Va.
In a hastily arranged statement at the White House, Trump branded members of the KKK, neo-Nazis and white supremacists who take part in violence as “criminals and thugs.”
The hate groups are “repugnant to everything that we hold dear as Amer- icans,” he said.
In his initial remarks on the violence Saturday, Trump did not single out the groups and instead bemoaned vio- lence on “many sides.” Those remarks prompted stern criticism from fellow Republicans as well as Democrats, who urged him to seize the moral authority of his office to condemn hate groups.
Tr u mp’s softer statement Saturday had come as graphic images of a car plowing into a crowd in Charlottesville were playing continually on television. White nationalists had assembled in the city to protest plans to take down a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee, and counter-protesters gathered in opposition. Fights broke out, and then a man drove into the opponents of the white supremacists. One woman was killed and many people were badly hurt. James Alex Fields Jr., 20, is charged with second-degree murder and other counts.
Loath to appear to be admitting a mistake, Trump was reluctant to adjust his remarks.
The president had indi- cated to advisers before his initial statement Satur- day that he wanted to stress a need for law and order, which he did.
He later expressed anger to those close to him about what he perceived as the media’s unfair assessment of his remarks, believing he had effectively denounced all forms of bigotry, according to outside advisers and White House officials.
Several of Trump’s senior advisers, including his new chief of staff, John Kelly, had urged him to make a more specific condemnation, warning that the negative story would not go away and that the rising tide of criti- cism from fellow Republi- cans on Capitol Hill could endanger his legislative agenda, according to two White House officials.
The outside advisers and officials demanded anonym- ity to discuss private conversations.
On Monday, Trump had planned to interrupt his 17-day working vacation at his New Jersey golf club to travel to Washington for an announcement he hoped would showcase tough talk on China’s trade practices.
But by the time he arrived at midmorning, it was clear all other messages would be drowned out until he said more about Charlottesville.
Trump returned to a White House undergoing a major renovation. With the Oval Office unavailable, he worked from the Treaty Room as aides drafted his remarks.
Reading from a tele- prompter, he made a point of beginning with an unrelated plug for the strength of the economy under his leadership. Then, taking pains to insist “as I said on Saturday,” Trump denounced the hate groups and called for unity.
“We must love each other, show affection for each other and unite together in condemnation of hatred, bigotry and violence,” he said.
Trump for the first time mentioned Heather Heyer by name as he paid tribute to the woman killed by the car.