By Dustin Rowles | Politics | August 15, 2017 |
By Dustin Rowles | Politics | August 15, 2017 |
Remember yesterday, when Trump kind of sort of took back that thing he said on Saturday about “many sides”? Yeah, well, in a Q&A with the press today, he took it all back. He more than took it all back. He basically defended the Nazis and placed equal blame on the “alt-left.”
It was ugly. I don’t even know how to process it yet. Here’s some awful things he said.
Trump: "Alt-left" bears some responsibility for the violence in Charlottesville this weekend pic.twitter.com/R3n7fc3u9Y
— Axios (@axios) August 15, 2017
.@POTUS: George Washington was a slave owner…Are we going to take down statues of George Washington? pic.twitter.com/NpNNqlQBIV
— Fox News (@FoxNews) August 15, 2017
Trump on Friday night's white supremacist torch march: "There were people protesting very quietly, the taking down of the statue" pic.twitter.com/L3fr7e37kG
— Brandon Wall (@Walldo) August 15, 2017
Here’s some reaction from around Twitter:
The president just erased yesterday's speech and is now back to Saturday's position on Charlottesville. Unbelievable.
— Josh Holmes (@HolmesJosh) August 15, 2017
Trump just now to media: "I think there is blame on both sides. I have no doubt about it and you don't have any doubt about it either."
— Yashar Ali (@yashar) August 15, 2017
— Jill Pantozzi ♿ (@JillPantozzi) August 15, 2017
Whaaa…aaat…was that. pic.twitter.com/QCoeh36vEX
— Sarah (@Cinesnark) August 15, 2017
Trump just made it explicit: Racists and Nazis, I feel your pain.
— David Corn (@DavidCornDC) August 15, 2017
The president just erased yesterday's speech and is now back to Saturday's position on Charlottesville. Unbelievable.
— Josh Holmes (@HolmesJosh) August 15, 2017
Again, he hits counter protesters for not having a permit!
— Matthew Nussbaum (@MatthewNussbaum) August 15, 2017
Trump isn't just undoing his late, shitty damage control, he's now saying even worse things than he did on Saturday.
— Jon Favreau (@jonfavs) August 15, 2017
This is insane.
— Chris Evans (@ChrisEvans) August 15, 2017
Omg. Trump: "What about the alt-left that came charging at the alt-right? Do they have any semblance of guilt?"
— Natasha Bertrand (@NatashaBertrand) August 15, 2017
Donald Trump: "Define the alt-right for me."
— Brock Wilbur (@brockwilbur) August 15, 2017
*cross-chatter and death screams*
Donald Trump: "What about the alt-left? I know what that is"
It's 2017 and a reporter had to ask the president of the United States how he feels about the Confederacy. Man.
— Sopan Deb (@SopanDeb) August 15, 2017
"What I just saw gave me the wrong kind of chills. Honestly I'm a bit shaken by what I just heard, & I suspect it's not just me" —@ChuckTodd
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) August 15, 2017
Former KKK leader David Duke: "Thank you, Pres. Trump, for your honesty and courage to tell the truth about Charlottesville."
— NBC Nightly News (@NBCNightlyNews) August 15, 2017
President Trump just referred to a group of violent white nationalists, supremacists, segregationists, and neo-Nazis as "very fine people."
— John Dingell (@JohnDingell) August 15, 2017
On Bannon:
“He’s a good man, he’s not a racist” says Trump saying that the press treats him very unfairly
— Charlie Spiering (@charliespiering) August 15, 2017
The President of the United States just had to assure us that his top advisor "is not a racist."
— Mike Ryan (@mikeryan) August 15, 2017
He actually had prepared remarks:
Trump notes. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais) pic.twitter.com/t4NOWZbPQi
— Colin Campbell (@colincampbell) August 15, 2017
He couldn't read the words. Just could not do it. And they were in 24 pt font. https://t.co/cOIuid2s2a
— luke oneil 🚽 (@lukeoneil47) August 15, 2017
Politicians reacting:
The President of the United States just defended neo-Nazis and blamed those who condemn their racism and hate. This is sick.
— Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) August 15, 2017
As a Jew, as an American, as a human, words cannot express my disgust and disappointment. This is not my President.
— Brian Schatz (@brianschatz) August 15, 2017
Blaming "both sides" for #Charlottesville?! No. Back to relativism when dealing with KKK, Nazi sympathizers, white supremacists? Just no.
— Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (@RosLehtinen) August 15, 2017
GOP Rep Will Hurd of Texas calls Trump's remarks "unacceptable"
— Ben Jacobs (@Bencjacobs) August 15, 2017
Oh, and this. Dear God:
Trump says the mother of the woman killed said "the nicest things about me"
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) August 15, 2017
Fuck off, Ivanka:
Per sources: Ivanka/Jared among those pushing Trump to more forcefully denounce neo-Nazis, KKK and white nationalists over the weekend…
— Glenn Thrush (@GlennThrush) August 15, 2017
I hope you’re right, Professor Tribe:
August 15, 2017 will go down as the turning point in this so-called presidency. This is the first time I felt I could say that. This is it.
— Laurence Tribe (@tribelaw) August 15, 2017