ARKANSANS CALL Trump response a lost opportunity.
The White House missed an opportunity to clearly, unambiguously denounce white supremacy, two Arkansas Republican officials said Thursday.
In interviews, U.S. Rep. Steve Womack and Lt. Gov. Tim Griffin condemned the racism on display in Charlottesville, Va., and they expressed dissatisfaction with President Donald Trump’s response to the crisis.
“The president of the United States is the leader of this country and he has a terrific pulpit from which he can help channel the values that are consistent with this country. I prefer that he use that pulpit to appropriately call these organizations out,” Womack said.
One woman was killed and 19 were injured Saturday after a car, allegedly driven by a Nazi sympathizer, mowed down a group of counterprotesters.
Video showed white supremacists carrying torches, chanting Nazi-style slogans and yelling racial epithets at passersby.
Womack, who denounced the hate groups on Twitter on Saturday, said he was appalled by the events in Charlottesville.
“There is no place in this civilized world, in our country, for organizations that espouse the hatred, the bigotry, the vitriol that comes out of anti-semitics, KKK, white nationalists [and] white supremacists,” he said. “Whatever they go by, whatever name or organization … any organization that espouses that type of rhetoric or that type of hate speech or action is unacceptable in this society.”
On Monday, Trump denounced the white supremacists, saying he condemns “in the strongest possible terms this egregious display of hatred, bigotry and violence — it has no place in America.”
But on Saturday, he said “many sides” share the blame for the violence. Tuesday, he faulted “both sides,” criticizing left-wing as well as right-wing protesters. There were also, he said, “very fine people” on both sides.
Griffin, however, was unable to identify any torch-wielding good guys.
“I think that leaders should be unequivocal in their denunciation of the type of white supremacists and racism and these sorts of things that we’ve been seeing,” he said. “Clearly neo-Nazis and white supremacists are not fine people. Not by my definition.”
The Rev. Ronnie Floyd, pastor of Cross Church in Northwest Arkansas and a member of Trump’s evangelical advisory board, is another leader who looks at the rally organizers with alarm.
Saturday, he condemned the movement, posting on social media: “These protesters do not represent in any form or way the Christian faith or the values followers of Jesus stand for.”
Monday, he called the developments in Charlottesville “an uprising of evil” and urged Christians to pray.
Wednesday, he accused the racists of spreading an “anti-Christ doctrine,” adding, “This is not just wrong; it is demonic.”
The day after Floyd denounced racists on his blog, Trump was denouncing Republican U.S. senators in predawn Tweets.
Shortly before 3:30 a.m., the president posted: “Publicity seeking Lindsey Graham falsely stated that I said there is moral equivalency between the KKK, neo-Nazis & white supremacists………and people like [homicide victim] Ms. [Heather] Heyer. Such a disgusting lie. He just can’t forget his election trouncing [in the 2016 Republican presidential primary]. The people of South Carolina will remember!”
At 3:56 a.m., he returned to slam U.S. Sen. Jeff Flake. The Arizona lawmaker, Trump wrote, is “WEAK on borders, crime and a non-factor in Senate. He’s toxic!”
Griffin said Trump’s statements and his Tweets are shifting attention away from the Republican legislative agenda. The president’s attacks on corporate CEOs and congressional leadership are also counterproductive, he said.
“I don’t think all of this is policy differences and opinions. I think a lot of it is anger,” he said.
Trump is going to need help from these lawmakers and business leaders in order to succeed, Griffin warned.
“People who are critical to the process of lowering taxes, building infrastructure, getting a replacement for Obamacare, and getting our immigration system reformed — those people are the ones he’s attacking. And he’s not just attacking over policy. It appears to be personal grudge,” he said.
The slights and insults could make it harder for people to work together down the road.
“I tell people, ‘You can’t drive your truck through somebody’s yard on a Friday and expect them to mow your yard on a Saturday,’” he said.