The following commentary was provided by Richard Cohen, President of the Southern Poverty Law Center.
After the deadly clash between hundreds
of white supremacists and counter-protesters today in Charlottesville,
Virginia, President Trump called for Americans to “come together.”
He used similar words in his victory
speech in the wee hours of Nov. 9, even as white supremacists began to celebrate.
The problem is that Trump’s words are
hollow.
His calls for the country to unite will
continue to be meaningless as long he fails to take responsibility for his role
in dividing it – something he conspicuously avoided again during his press
conference today.
“It’s been going on for a long time,”
Trump said. “Not Donald Trump. Not Barack Obama.”
It’s true. America has had racial strife
since its founding.
But from the day he came down the
escalator in the tower that bears his name, Trump consciously poured fuel on
the fire. He ran a racist, xenophobic campaign that energized the radical right
– that “unearthed some demons,” as U.S. Rep. Mark Sanford put it.
The day after Trump was elected, hate
incidents soared. Many of them were carried out in his name.
Neo-Nazi David Duke, the former Klan
leader who endorsed Trump during his campaign, had this to say about the deadly
violence in Charlottesville:
“This represents a turning point for the people of this country. We are
determined to take our country back. We are going to fulfill the promises of
Donald Trump. That’s what we believed in. That’s why we voted for Donald Trump,
because he said he’s going to take our country back.”
Duke’s words reflect the views of a
white nationalist movement that sees Trump as its champion.
Let there be no mistake: This is a
fascist movement that threatens not only extremist violence but our democracy
as well.
All the while, Trump continues to employ
as his chief strategist the former head of Breitbart News, Stephen Bannon, who
has proudly boasted that he provided “the platform for the alt-right” – a fancy
term for white supremacy in the digital age.
All the while, the
Trump administration continues to play down the threat of white supremacist
violence.
Trump calls for the country to unite.
But he is still ducking responsibility for his role in dividing it.
Until he apologizes and takes responsibility
for the damage he has caused and enacts policies to mend the wounds in our
country, his words will continue to ring hollow.
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