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Americans Are Begging The GOP To "Do Something" About Trump — And Fast
In the aftermath of the chaos and violence in Charlottesville, Virginia last week, and the subsequent, heavily criticized responses from President Donald Trump, a lot of Democrats, progressives, left-wingers, and even some conservatives have been calling on the Republican Party to do something. And the demand is sweeping across social media, as well ― the hashtag #DoSomethingGOP is sweeping across Twitter, voicing the disdain and frustration of countless people in the face of a president who seems constantly reluctant to criticize white supremacy.
Make no mistake, the scrutiny and focus being directed at Trump's response has been intense, and it's not hard to see why. Basically, it's all owed to his own past statements, his conspicuous caution in how he's addresses such groups throughout his political career, and to the support he's received from white nationalist and supremacist groups.
Back in 2016, his presidential campaign ― which began with an announcement speech in which he broad-brushed undocumented Mexican immigrants as "rapists," among other things ― drew considerable support from such groups, and his enduring reluctance to fully and singularly denounce them has been an ongoing topic of criticism throughout his political career. Here are TK examples of the tweets flying around on the hashtag.
1. At Least Once On The Right Side Of History
2. For The Sake Of America
3. Your Words Mean Nothing
4. Get #DoSomethingGOP Trending
5. This Is Squarely On You
6. Everyone Who Has A Moral Bone
7. No More Crocodile Tears
8. Our Country Is On [Fire]
9. Condemn And Impeach
10. Take A Stand
11. People Literally Now Begging Our Government
Needless to say, there's no shortage of people on social media eager to make their voices heard on this issue. In the immediate aftermath of the events in Charlottesville, Trump made some brief comments on the violence, insisting that hared and bigotry had been perpetrated "on many sides." Then, on Monday, he delivered a statement more specifically denouncing violent white supremacists and neo-Nazis, although thanks to the lateness of the sentiment, he still received heavy and withering criticism.
Then, on Tuesday, he doubled-down on his initial "both sides" tact in a heated press conference, blaming the so-called "alt-left" in equal measure as the white supremacist and neo-Nazi demonstrators for the violence that erupted in Charlottesville. In all, the car attack on Saturday saw anti-racist counter-protester Heather Heyer killed, and some 20 more counter-protesters reportedly injured.