Trump Lets Loose On Twitter, But Finds No Venom For White Supremacists

The media, however, are "truly bad people."
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WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump — who takes to Twitter regularly to deliver insults and criticism — has yet to use his preferred means of communication to speak out against white supremacist groups that terrorized Charlottesville, Virginia, over the weekend.

After first blaming “many sides” for Saturday’s mayhem that resulted in three deaths and 19 injuries, Trump — facing mounting public pressure — condemned hate groups in a scripted statement on Monday.

“Racism is evil,” he said, “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.”

But on Twitter, Trump hasn’t directly mentioned the racists, Neo-Nazis or white supremacists involved in the melee. Instead, he concentrated on “obstructionist democrats,” the media, and Merck & Co. CEO Ken Frazier. Frazer, who resigned Monday from the president’s council on manufacturing, citing Trump’s failure to denounce those responsible for the Charlottesville violence, was scorned by two presidential tweets on Monday.

“Truly bad people” was how Trump described journalists, with whom he is continuously battling ― not the KKK, neo-Nazis or other far-right extremists.

CNN senior White House correspondent Jim Acosta on Monday asked Trump about why he didn’t condemn hate groups by name over the weekend.

“They’ve been condemned,” Trump said. “They have been condemned.”

When Acosta sought to ask more questions after a White House ceremony, Trump said, “I like real news, not fake news. You’re fake news.”

“Mr. President, haven’t you spread a lot of fake news yourself, Sir?” Acosta asked as Trump exited the room.

Before You Go

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