In the wake of the tragic events in Charlottesville, Va., that left three people dead and many injured, President Donald Trump has come under fire for refusing to denounce white supremacy. People are not standing for it, and Rep. Maxine Waters slammed Trump's response to Charlottesville in take-down tweets. Because, of course she did! Waters is the latest to criticize Trump's bungled response to tragic events that unfolded after white supremacists taking part in a racist "Unite the Right" rally clashed with anti-racist counter-protestors Aug. 12.
In his press conference Saturday, Trump made statements that included: "We condemn in the strongest possible terms this egregious display of hatred, bigotry, and violence on many sides — on many sides,” Buzzfeed News reported. "So we want to get the situation straightened out in Charlottesville and we want to study it and we want to see what we're doing wrong as a country, where things like this can happen."
In response Waters tweeted, "No, Trump. Not on many sides, your side. #Charlottesville." She then followed up with a series of scathing tweets directed toward Trump, and his refusal to condemn white supremacy.
Waters made headlines earlier this summer when her repetition of the phrase "Reclaiming my time, reclaiming my time, reclaiming my time," as House Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin attempted to skirt her inquiries into Trump's financial ties with Russia, went viral on social media with the hashtag #ReclaimingMyTime.
Waters is the latest politician to denounce Trump's response to the violence in Charlottesville on Twitter. And, while he regularly uses twitter as his own personal message board, Trump's Twitter account has been silent for more than 16 hours as of 3 p.m. ET Aug. 13.
The irony of Trump's Twitter silence is hardly lost on the politicians calling for him to officially condemn white supremacy, and recognize that bigotry can only have one side.
Southern Poverty Law Center President Richard Cohen called Trump's words "hollow," and said in a statement that Trump is responsible for escalating racial violence in the United States.
"It’s true. America has had racial strife since its founding," Cohen wrote Aug. 12. "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."
The statement also condemned comments from former KKK leader and Trump supporter, David Duke who cited events in Charlottesville as a "turning point" for taking back America. The SPLC called for Trump to address his mistakes, and started a petition asking that Trump publicly reject bigotry and hatred.
"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."
