President Trump has once again defended the white supremacists behind deadly violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, in August of 2017. The “Unite the Right” rally saw several hundred white nationalists, carrying torches, march on a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee, chanting “Jews will not replace us.” The next day, self-described neo-Nazi James Alex Fields plowed his car into a crowd of anti-racist protesters, murdering Heather Heyer and injuring 28 others. In the wake of the killing, President Trump said there were “very fine people on both sides.” On Friday, a reporter asked him about the remark.
President Donald Trump: “I was talking about people that went because they felt very strongly about the monument to Robert E. Lee, a great general. Whether you like it or not, he was one of the great generals.”
In response, Democratic House Majority Whip James Clyburn accused Trump of praising a loser. This is Congressmember Clyburn speaking on ABC’s “This Week.”
Rep. James Clyburn: “Robert E. Lee was a slave owner and a brutal slave master. Thankfully, he lost that war. And I kind of find it kind of interesting the president is now glorifying a loser. He always said that he hated losers.”