Trump’s slow walk to condemning white supremacists
WASHINGTON: It took US President Donald Trump two days to do what both Republicans and Democrats said should have come fast and easy.
In his carefully worded statement Monday, Trump condemned members of the Ku Klux Klan, neo-Nazis and white supremacists as “repugnant.” He vowed that his administration would crack down on those who perpetrate “racist violence.” He called for national unity.
It was the type of statement Americans have come to expect from their presidents after racially charged incidents, like the deadly violence that erupted Saturday in Charlottesville, Virginia. But Trump struggled mightily to meet the moment, glaringly omitting any direct condemnation of white supremacists in his initial comments on the incident and decrying bigotry “on many sides.”
As the most unconventional president in modern American history, Trump has at times thrived off low expectations. He is often cheered by Republicans when he fulfills basic functions of the office. And GOP lawmakers in particular have often tried to explain away his missteps as a function of his lack of experience in Washington and politics.
But he has found himself with few allies after his botched handling of the Charlottesville violence. Several Republicans challenged Trump directly to be more strident in calling out white nationalists and neo-Nazis. Colorado Sen. Cory Gardner said the president needed to “step up” and call the groups “evil.”
The president got to that place on Monday, declaring, “racism is evil, and those who cause violence in its name are criminals and thugs.”
It is unclear whether his cleanup efforts will ease the political pressure he has faced in recent days. In addition to the disapproval from his own party, three members of a White House advisory council — Merck CEO Kenneth Frazier, Under Armor CEO Kevin Plank and Intel CEO Brian Krzanich — announced they were resigning from the panel in protest.
Later Monday, Trump tried to pin the blame for the controversy on one of his favorite targets: The media. He tweeted that the media “will never be satisfied ... truly bad people.”
The trouble for Trump is that his struggle in responding to the Charlottesville violence seems to fit a pattern of uncharacteristic caution when it comes to handling racial tensions and condemning the fringe groups that have rallied around his candidacy.
Indeed, it was striking that one of the few signs of support for Trump after his comments Saturday came from the white supremacist website Daily Stormer. The website noted that Trump avoided reporters’ questions about whether he condemned the groups leading the protests. “Really, really good. God bless him,” the website wrote.
Trump denies that he is racist or sympathetic to such groups. Son-in-law Jared Kushner, the grandson of Holocaust survivors, and daughter Ivanka, who converted to Judaism, are among those who have defended the president against those charges.
Still, he has a history of engaging in high profile, racially fraught battles.