The media networks roundly blamed the vehicular attack by a white supremacist on counter-protesters in Charlottesville on President Trump Monday, with an MSNBC contributer openly saying that Trump is a racist.
Morning Joe contributer Donny Deutsch accused the President of not sufficiently condemning right wing protesters, and referred to the President as a “pathetic, sniveling, little man” and a “coward.”
Deutsch, who has previously expressed a desire to fight Trump, added that he found it “disgusting” that Trump did not specifically condemn Naziism.
“He is a racist. Can we just say it once and for all, when we look at his history?” Deutsch said, adding “When we look at the housing issues, when you look where he’s talked about reverse discrimination against whites, the birther movement.”
“We have a racist as a president. A man who cannot stand up and condemn the Ku Klux Klan and Naziism is a racist.” Deutsch exclaimed.
Following the violence at the weekend, and specifically the attack with a car on protesters, which killed at least one person and left several injured, the President said “We condemn in the strongest possible terms this egregious display of hatred, bigotry and violence on many sides. On many sides.”
“We have to come together as Americans with love for our nation—and I say this so strongly—true affection for each other,” Trump added.
Detractors suggested that Trump was not specific enough in condemning white supremacists, which led to a later statement being issued by the White House saying that the President condemns “white supremacists, KKK, neo-Nazi and all extremist groups.”
Some Trump supporters claimed that the President was referring to the fact that violence was carried out by both right wing and left wing agitators, which was confirmed by Virginia State police:
VA Police Spox Corinne Geller to @dougmckelway on @ANHQDC: describes the earlier violence, people throwing " soda cans with cement in them" pic.twitter.com/C00uwnyGLi
— Pat Ward (@WardDPatrick) August 12, 2017
Other media talking heads and hosts piled in on blaming Trump for the violence.
On CBS’ Face the Nation guest Jamelle Bouie argued that if one was looking for the “roots” of the attack, “you don’t have to look very far from the White House”:
ABC, commentator Cokie Roberts said that “The President has to share responsibility,” adding “The fact is, through that campaign, he blew all kind of whistles that those of us who grew up in the Jim Crow south, like I did, recognized immediately. It was just calling out to these white supremacists who then felt empowered by it.”
NBC anchor Anchor Willie Geist complained that “President Trump condemned the violence there on Saturday but he did not specifically speak to the white nationalism that was on display.”
Correspondent Kelly O’Donnell added that “The President also did not respond to questions, including one about the political support he enjoys among some white supremacists.”
Chuck Todd also chimed in stating “Look, you can’t say it’s anything other than deliberate.”
CNN senior White House correspondent Jim Acosta tweeted out that “These are the consequences of sanitizing white supremacists who seek to be rebranded as part of American ‘right.’ They are peddling hatred.”
These are the consequences of sanitizing white supremacists who seek to be rebranded as part of American "right." They are peddling hatred.
— Jim Acosta (@Acosta) August 12, 2017
Note the President using the term "many sides." Given the chance, he didn't condemn these white supremacists and neo-Nazis by name. https://t.co/SiBDqGCwYv
— Jim Acosta (@Acosta) August 12, 2017
NBC and CNN featured the Charlottesville, Virginia Democratic Mayor Michael Signer, who wasted little time in putting the blame squarely on Trump:
“Well, look at the campaign he ran. I mean, look at the intentional courting, both on the one hand of all these white supremacists, white nationalists, a group like that, anti-Semitic groups, and then look on the other hand the repeated failure to step up, condemn, denounce, silence, you know, put to bed all those different efforts, just like we saw yesterday.” Signer said.
The Emergency Election Sale is now live! Get 30% to 60% off our most popular products today!