President Trump may have taken two days to specifically call out the KKK, neo-Nazis and White supremacists for their role in the Charlottesville tragedy, but a diverse group of civil rights leaders that complained of his slow response were still not satisfied.
On Monday, after prefatory remarks on economic data, Trump turned to the weekend’s tragedy that claimed three lives. He called racism “evil” and read a prepared speech that denounced “criminals and thugs, including the KKK, neo-Nazis, white supremacists and other hate groups that are repugnant to everything we hold dear as Americans.”
But the organizer of an ad hoc group of civil rights leaders that had condemned Trump’s unwillingness to speak forcefully on the matter on Saturday was not impressed.
“It is a sad state of affairs when it’s a news story that the President of the United States condemns racism and white supremacy,” said Vanita Gupta, president of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights in a statement soon after the president’s remarks.
“Two days after the fact, President Trump has at long last, directly and personally, condemned the white supremacist rallies and violent extremism that occurred in Charlottesville,” Gupta continued. “While today’s delayed words are welcome, they should have been spoken on Saturday. This unconscionable delay has undermined his moral credibility as our nation’s leader.”
Gupta said the actions didn’t go far enough.
“Today’s words must be followed by action,” Gupta added. “(Trump) must stop advancing policies that seek to divide this nation. Supporters of white supremacists, violent extremism, racial bigotry, and neo-Nazis should not serve in the White House or at any level of government. The president should fire Stephen Bannon and Sebastian Gorka or any staffers who stoke hate and division.”
