HOW TRUMP and WHITE HOUSE
STATEMENTS CHANGED
White nationalists
to blame
Many groups
to blame
Aug. 12 Trump
statement
Aug. 13 White
House statement
“... violence —
on many sides.
On many sides.”
Of course that includes white supremacists ...
Aug. 15 news
conference
Aug. 14 Trump
statement
“I think
there's blame on both sides.”
“Racism is evil ... including the KKK ...”
HOW TRUMP and WHITE HOUSE STATEMENTS CHANGED
Many groups to blame
White nationalists to blame
Aug. 12
Trump statement
Aug. 13
White House statement
Of course that includes white supremacists ...
“... violence —
on many sides.
On many sides.”
Aug. 15
news conference
Aug. 14
Trump statement
“I think
there's blame on both sides.”
“Racism is evil ... including the KKK ...”
Politicians from across the political spectrum have condemned President Trump’s reactions to the violent protests in Charlottesville, Va., on Aug. 12. Trump failed to specifically call out white nationalists, neo-Nazis and Ku Klux Klan members in his initial statement, instead emphasizing that there was blame “on many sides.” Though he specifically condemned those groups Monday, Trump backtracked in an impromptu news conference Tuesday, blaming “both sides” for the violence and saying many of the rally participants were peaceful.
Donald Trump R
President of the United States
We ALL must be united & condemn all that hate stands for. There is no place for this kind of violence in America. Lets come together as one!
Later Trump statement
We condemn, in the strongest possible terms, this eggregious display of hatred, bigotry and violence — on many sides. On many sides.
Later White House statement
Of course that includes white supremacists, KKK, Neo-Nazi and all extremist groups.
Later Trump statement
Aug. 14, 12:43 p.m.
Racism is evil, and those who cause violence in its name are criminals and thugs, including the KKK, neo-Nazis, white supremacists and other hate groups that are repugnant to everything we hold dear as Americans.
Later news conference
I think there's blame on both sides. And I have no doubt about it. [...] No one wants to say that, but I’ll say it right now: You had a group on the other side that came charging in without a permit and they were very, very violent.
Reaction to Trump’s Aug. 15 comments
Scott Taylor R
Virginia congressman
Today's statements by President Trump at his press conference were disappointing and a failure of leadership, which starts at the top, with him. I hope the President will focus on bringing people together and to challenge hate in the strongest unequivocal terms moving forward. There is no home for hate here in Virginia or America.
Tim Scott R
South Carolina senator
The moral authority of this nation rests upon clarity of convictions & actions that reinforce our commitment to the greater good for all! My party&our nation must stand united against hate, racism& groups/individuals who want to reject the truth that we are all from one blood.
Cory Booker D
New Jersey senator
Aug. 15, 9:10 p.m.
Once again Trump leaves me outraged & disgusted. He betrays the office & the people he has sworn to serve. #SickAndTiredOfBeingSickAndTired
Robert P. Casey Jr. D
Pennsylvania senator
.@realDonaldTrump should follow this bipartisan example- unequivocally condemn this hateful ideology and Saturday's attack. [Sharing earlier tweet from Sen. Orrin Hatch:] We should never hesitate to call out hate. Whenever and wherever we see it.
Michael F. Bennet D
Colorado senator
Teleprompter @POTUS condemns white supremacy, unscripted @POTUS blames "both sides." No one should need a teleprompter to do the right thing [Later tweet:] White supremacy is wrong. There is no moral equivalence. We will repeat this and act against it until we stop having to.
Terry McAuliffe D
Virginia governor
Neo-Nazis, Klansmen and white supremacists came to Charlottesville heavily armed, spewing hatred and looking for a fight. One of them murdered a young woman in an act of domestic terrorism, and two of our finest officers were killed in a tragic accident while serving to protect this community. This was not 'both sides.'
Chris Van Hollen D
Maryland senator
President Trump, this moment demands moral clarity, not appeasement of neo-Nazis and white supremacists. The alt-right is all wrong. [Later tweet:] The arc of the moral universe bends toward justice. You will not succeed in reversing our journey to a more perfect union.
Chuck Schumer D
New York senator and Senate minority leader
Great and good American presidents seek to unite not divide. Donald Trump’s remarks clearly show he is not one of them. [Later tweet:] By saying he is not taking sides, Donald Trump clearly is. When David Duke and white supremacists cheer, you’re doing it very very wrong.
Marco Rubio R
Florida senator
The organizers of events which inspired & led to #charlottesvilleterroristattack are 100% to blame for a number of reasons [Later tweet:] Mr. President,you can't allow #WhiteSupremacists to share only part of blame. They support idea which cost nation & world so much pain
Jack Reed D
Rhode Island senator
Mr. President, for the good of the country, stop defending the actions of white supremacists in #Charlottesville. [Later statement:] The President of the United States is the leader of the free world and should serve as a symbol for what is best about America. It is time for him to stop excusing white supremacists and start working to bring Americans together in the fight against racism and intolerance.
Cory Gardner R
Colorado senator
Mr. President - we must call evil by its name. These were white supremacists and this was domestic terrorism. [Previous tweet:] Praying for those hurt & killed today in Charlottesville. This is nothing short of domestic terrorism & should be named as such.
Brian Schatz D
Hawaii senator
Aug. 15, 4:42 p.m.
As a Jew, as an American, as a human, words cannot express my disgust and disappointment. This is not my President.
A. Donald McEachin D
Virginia congressman
This afternoon, Mr. Trump’s true colors revealed that Saturday’s appalling rhetoric truly was a wink and nod to the white supremacist groups that represent the real Donald J. Trump. As I said this morning, our President seems more like the president of the ‘alt-right. [...] Mr. President, here's a hint. When David Duke is thanking you, you're on the wrong side.
We previously tracked politicians’s responses to the protests and Trump’s original comments. Those reactions are below.
Did not specifically condemn white supremacists
Many officials — notably including Trump — made statements against the situation and polarization in general but did not use specific terms like “white nationalism” or “neo-Nazi.”
Corey Stewart R
Former Republican candidate for Virginia governor
There’s no reason to apologize for some nutcases that show up in Charlottesville. We have nothing to do with them in the Republican Party. They’re not conservatives. In fact, when you think about it, this is the far, far, far left. These are people, they believe the government should control people and stymie free speech.
Condemned Trump’s original statement
A few officials directly criticized Trump for not condemning “white supremacists” in his original comments.
Mike Signer D
Charlottesville mayor
What I did not hear in the president's statement yesterday, as well-intentioned as it may have been, is I didn't hear the words 'white supremacy'. And I think that it's important to call this for what it is and to say, okay, this show has run its course, this shark has been jumped, let's move on.
Nancy Pelosi D
House minority leader and California congresswoman
The vile beliefs of the perpetrators of this violence insult our fundamental American values and must be condemned in the strongest terms. The President's talk of violence 'on many sides' ignores the shameful reality of white supremacism in our country today, and continues a disturbing pattern of complacency around such acts of hate.
Don Beyer D
Virginia congressman, 8th district
You [Trump] must condemn racism, and take decisive action to stop it. Also, your White House still employs Bannon, Gorka, Anton, and Miller.
Gerald E. Connolly D
Virginia congressman, 11th district
Trump reaps what he sowed in campaign in Cville. The alt-right is nothing but a front for racist, violent extremism. He fails big test today
Kamala Harris D
California senator
As we all now know, this weekend in Charlottesville, hundreds of white supremacists gathered with torches, shouting racial, ethnic and religious epithets about Black and Jewish people, chanting Nazi slurs, waving the Confederate flag and banners emblazoned with giant swastikas. [...] And as the country grappled with this tragedy, we were told that “many sides” should be condemned. Many sides. [...] “Many sides” is what kept children in this country at separate schools and adults at separate lunch counters for decades.
Specifically condemned white supremacists (but not Trump’s original statement)
Other officials didn’t criticize Trump’s statement but did use specific terms like “white nationalism” or “neo-Nazi” in their own statements.
Mike Pence R
Vice President of the United States
We have no tolerance for hate and violence from white supremacists, neo-Nazis or the KKK.
Terry McAuliffe D
Virginia governor
At every level, elected officials in America must denounce white supremacy, Nazism & any rhetoric that empowers those who seek to divide us.
Jeff Sessions R
Attorney General
Rasicm, white supremacy is totally unacceptable. I think the president talked about the problems in America, in that first statement, have been going on a long time. He said before Donald Trump, before Barack Obama. A long time.
Earlier statement
Aug. 12, 10:53 p.m.
The violence and deaths in Charlottesville strike at the heart of American law and justice. When such actions arise from racial bigotry and hatred, they betray our core values and cannot be tolerated.
Paul Ryan R
House Speaker and Wisconsin congressman, 1st district
Our hearts are with today's victims. White supremacy is a scourge. This hate and its terrorism must be confronted and defeated.
Tim Kaine D
Virginia senator
It's sickening to see the displays of violence and bigotry that were brought to Charlottesville by white nationalists over the last 24 hours, which tragically led to injuries and at least one death today. This is not who we are. Charlottesville is a vibrant community that recognizes the deep scars from our past and has rejected hatred in favor of inclusion.
Mark R. Warner D
Virginia senator
Virginians mourn the life taken in this morning's events and reject this hateful violence in Charlottesville. We condemn the intolerance behind it and those who would pass it off as a legitimate political movement.
Thomas Garrett R
Virginia congressman, 5th district (including Charlottesville)
I’ve said white supremacist an awful lot, I’ve condemned them as vocally and vociferously as I can, I’m going to keep on doing it. It’s antithetical to who we are as a people, and it is really troubling that we would move backwards.
Barbara Comstock R
Virginia congresswoman, 10th district
The neo-Nazi march and the hate and racism on display in Charlottesville are vile, have no place in Virginia, and are denounced by Republicans and Democrats alike in our great Commonwealth. We thank and pray for our law enforcement who protect our Commonwealth and put themselves in harm's way to protect our communities.
Rob Wittman R
Virginia representative, 1st congressional district
I despise and tenaciously denounce the violence, hate and bigotry that we have seen in Charlottesville. The rhetoric and actions of racists, white supremacists, and Nazi-ideologues are not the values of our Commonwealth or our great nation.
Scott Taylor R
Virginia congressman, 2nd district
As a follow up to my strong statement yesterday, the actions and ideology of hate from white supremacists have no place in our state, country, or world. We are in this together, let's find solutions to our problems, celebrate our differences, and reject hate in all its forms.
Robert C. “Bobby” Scott D
Virginia congressman, 3rd district
I am deeply concerned about the unfolding situation in Charlottesville where white nationalists have violently clashed with counter-protesters. While I respect their First Amendment right to assemble and freedom of speech, this sort of violence and hate speech has no credible role in our public discourse.
A. Donald McEachin D
Virginia congressman, 4th district
My heart is broken at the loss of life, the injuries and the fear that has been shown this weekend. I commend those who stood against these Klansmen and Nazis. These people will not win. The bigotry, hate, and anti-Semitism they peddle has no place here and no place in our great nation. All good people flinch at the horror we have seen unfold this weekend.
Bob Goodlatte R
Virginia congressman, 6th district
I am deeply saddened and revolted by the hate and violence taking place in Charlottesville, and am praying for the victim killed and others injured. The racist and anti-Semitic views embraced by white supremacists have no place in our nation and do not reflect core American values of equality and religious freedom.
Dave Brat R
Virginia congressman, 7th district
To be clear, I reject nazi white supremacists, the KKK, and fascism which requires a total fed state. They all operate in hate vs love.
Earlier statement
We were created equal by our Creator and that is affirmed in the Declaration of Independence. Any group or individual that believes in racial superiority runs completely counter to the Gospel and the rule of law in our country and is to be condemned. The violence and bigotry on display in Charlottesville has no place in our Virginia communities.
Morgan H. Griffith R
Virginia congressman, 9th district
I am appalled by the displays of racism and hate in Charlottesville this past weekend. The idea of white supremacy is contrary to our belief, as Virginians and Americans, that all men and women are created equal. I condemn this bigotry and the violence it inspired that caused death and injury.
John McCain R
Arizona senator
White supremacists and neo-Nazis are, by definition, opposed to American patriotism and the ideals that define us as a people and make our nation special. As we mourn the tragedy that has occurred in Charlottesville, American patriots of all colors and creeds must come together to defy those who raise the flag of hatred and bigotry.
Ted Cruz R
Texas senator
The Nazis, the KKK, and white supremacists are repulsive and evil, and all of us have a moral obligation to speak out against the lies, bigotry, anti-Semitism, and hatred that they propagate. Having watched the horrifying video of the car deliberately crashing into a crowd of protesters, I urge the Department of Justice to immediately investigate and prosecute this grotesque act of domestic terrorism.
Tom Cotton R
Arkansas senator
White supremacists who claim to ‘take America back' only betray their own ignorance of what makes America so special: our country's founding recognition of the natural rights of all mankind and commitment to the defense of the rights of all Americans.
Larry Hogan R
Maryland governor
Violence, hate, and bigotry all of kinds must be confronted and condemned. The disgusting and vile acts taking place in Charlottesville have absolutely no place in our society and must be stopped [...] American values have nothing to do with white supremacy and hate, and Maryland will continue to stand in strong opposition to those who use it for personal or political gain.
Hillary Clinton D
2016 Democratic presidential nominee and former New York senator
But the incitement of hatred that got us here is as real and condemnable as the white supremacists in our streets. Every minute we allow this to persist through tacit encouragement or inaction is a disgrace, & corrosive to our values. Now is the time for leaders to be strong in their words & deliberate in their actions. We will not step backward. If this is not who we are as Americans, let's prove it.
Ed Gillespie R
Nominee for Virginia governor, former Republican National Committee chairman
Definitely tragic effect of vile neo Nazi and white supremacist actions.
Earlier statement
Having a right to spew vile hate does not make it right. It is painful to see these ugly events in Charlottesville last night and today. These displays have no place in our Commonwealth, and the mentality on display is rejected by the decent, thoughtful and compassionate fellow Virginians I see every day. I know we all appreciate the law enforcement officials maintaining order and protecting public safety there.
A previous version of this story stated that Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-Va.) did not specifically condemn white supremacists. He did on Friday evening, before the planned rally. We have adjusted his position accordingly.
About this story
Statements gathered from staff reports, press releases and social media accounts of lawmakers.
Originally published Aug. 13, 2017.
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The clarification comes amid growing calls for Trump to single out white nationalists in his condemnation of the weekend violence in Charlottesville.
