President Donald Trump, whose father was reported to have marched "berobed" with the Ku Klux Klan in 1927, once again today bizarrely blamed "both sides" for violence in Charlottesville this past weekend. Alt-right, Nazi, and white supremacist terrorists met to protest the removal of a Confederate statue, and a woman was murdered.
Thank you President Trump for your honesty & courage to tell the truth about #Charlottesville & condemn the leftist terrorists in BLM/Antifa https://t.co/tTESdV4LP0
— David Duke (@DrDavidDuke) August 15, 2017
Noted white supremacist and KKK oldtimer David Duke's response to Trump's display of alliance clarifies matters.
Here were my live tweets watching the Trump press conference, below. Then, the freshly shocked responses of others.
President Donald Trump answers questions about his responses to the violence, injuries and deaths at the "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville as he talks to the media in the lobby of Trump Tower in Manhattan, New York, U.S., August 15, 2017. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
Trump: "Excellent" that I made #Charlottesville statement when I did. I "didn't wait long" to condemn KKK, neo-nazis, et al.
— Xeni Jardin (@xeni) August 15, 2017
"Excellent," said the President, rating his performance during a national disaster in which Nazis gathered and an American was murdered https://t.co/RTmZRLZds5
— Xeni Jardin (@xeni) August 15, 2017
The President is looking particularly orange today
— Xeni Jardin (@xeni) August 15, 2017
Trump tells reporters he never spoke to Bannon about #Charlottesville.
— Xeni Jardin (@xeni) August 15, 2017
Trump now falsely claiming that counter-protesters defending #Charlottesville from nazis and KKK were "very violent."
— Xeni Jardin (@xeni) August 15, 2017
"Not all of those people" in #Charlottesville "were neo-Nazis," the President says.
— Xeni Jardin (@xeni) August 15, 2017
The answer to racial conflict in America is "millions of jobs," lied the President.
— Xeni Jardin (@xeni) August 15, 2017
Trump: There is "blame on both sides" for violence in #Charlottesville at Nazi/KKK/altright rally in which a peaceful protester was murdered
— Xeni Jardin (@xeni) August 15, 2017
Trump: In #Charlottesville, there were "very fine people on both sides." Some Nazis/KKK are "very fine people," according to the President.
— Xeni Jardin (@xeni) August 15, 2017
Trump said removal of Confederate hero statues is "changing history." This is a shout-out to KKK fans like his dad https://t.co/3ZUKK6IIjJ
— Xeni Jardin (@xeni) August 15, 2017
Fruit, meet Tree. President's father, Fred Trump, is reported to have attended a Nazi/KKK rally 'berobed' in 1927. https://t.co/3ZUKK6IIjJ
— Xeni Jardin (@xeni) August 15, 2017
PHOTOS: Reuters
Pres. Trump on Charlottesville: "There's blame on both sides…you also had people that were very fine people on both sides." pic.twitter.com/ayX9eHABsN
— ABC News (@ABC) August 15, 2017
MSNBC's Nicolle Wallace on Trump comments: "Today he threw a stick of dynamite on the bridge that he laid down yesterday."
— Brian Lowry (@blowryontv) August 15, 2017
"alt-right" was promoted by Richard Spencer and self-adopted by that sector of the right; "alt-left" was only invented as a pejorative https://t.co/07M8VuUmPu
— Matt Pearce (@mattdpearce) August 15, 2017
#BREAKING: #Cville car suspect, #UniteTheRight rally organizer, & alt-right leaders face $3M lawsuit from 2 ppl injured in car attack pic.twitter.com/PH4fehgPiv
— Matt Talhelm (@MattTalhelm) August 15, 2017
Who knew condemning neo-Nazis could be so complicated
— andrew kaczynski ? (@KFILE) August 15, 2017
very strong words from a Democratic senator https://t.co/fp326yJS3Y
— Kasie Hunt (@kasie) August 15, 2017
this will be the pro-Trump media takeaway. it will ultimately be emboldening to the group after feeling isolated by charlottesville pic.twitter.com/nsbonrb4Xy
— Charlie Warzel (@cwarzel) August 15, 2017
"Is it murder? Is it terrorism?" asked the pres about Charlottesville? He said the driver of the car that plowed into crowd "is a murderer."
— Mark Knoller (@markknoller) August 15, 2017
Twelve days ago https://t.co/p1KbmXvZL0
— Daniel Dale (@ddale8) August 15, 2017
Trump to reporter: "What about the alt-left that came charging at … the alt-right? Do they have any semblance of guilt?" https://t.co/eW30Vl1tGM
— Veronica Rocha (@VeronicaRochaLA) August 15, 2017
.@SenateMajLdr's former chief of staff: https://t.co/3KSntwsrUA
— Cameron Joseph (@cam_joseph) August 15, 2017
Live look at White House communications department pic.twitter.com/ZFTFopZUec
— Robert Maguire (@RobertMaguire_) August 15, 2017
It might get overshadowed by Trump equating white supremacists and counter-protesters but this really stuck with me https://t.co/smOnPxDrGx
— Mark Berman (@markberman) August 15, 2017
The Reddit Presidency. https://t.co/8cLidU9LIl
— Chris Geidner (@chrisgeidner) August 15, 2017
The protest was organized by groups that do no pretend to be anything other than fascist: https://t.co/drvBtm1wfC
— Michael Weiss (@michaeldweiss) August 15, 2017
Can't even fit this disaster of a day into a tweet pic.twitter.com/RmhfDX4DRS
— Olivia Nuzzi (@Olivianuzzi) August 15, 2017
