White House calls Trump's Charlottesville 'peanut' comments 'repugnant and divisive'
The White House on Thursday blasted former President Trump after he twice minimized the deadly 2017 white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Va., downplaying its severity compared to ongoing campus protests over the war in Gaza.
"Minimizing the Antisemitic and white supremacist poison displayed in Charlottesville is repugnant and divisive," deputy press secretary Andrew Bates said in a statement.
Bates noted the Charlottesville rally "compelled President Biden to run in 2020, because he has fought Antisemitism and hate his entire life." He also pointed to the Biden administration's launch of a national strategy to counter antisemitism.
"And unlike some figures on the right, President Biden has never invited Neo Nazis and Holocaust deniers over for lunch," Bates added, a reference to Trump's meeting in 2022 with Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes.
Trump twice on Thursday downplayed the Charlottesville rally, which was a major flashpoint early in his first term.
"Charlottesville is like a ‘peanut’ compared to the riots and anti-Israel protests that are happening all over our Country, RIGHT NOW,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Later in the day, as he departed the courtroom in Manhattan where his hush money trial is taking place, Trump again ripped Biden's handling of the ongoing campus protests while minimizing the Charlottesville violence.
“Very importantly as you look at the various colleges all over the country … you see what’s happening on the fronts having to do with Palestine and Israel and protests and hate, anger," Trump said. "Biden is sending an absolutely horrible message. Horrible, horrible message. He has no idea how to message. He can’t speak. He can’t put two sentences together. He doesn’t know what to do.”
“He was talking about Charlottesville. Charlottesville was a little peanut — and it was nothing compared — and the hate wasn't the kind of hate you have here," Trump added.
The August 2017 “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville served as a major moment early in Trump’s first term as white supremacists, who had chanted antisemitic slogans and marched with tiki torches on the first night of the rally, clashed with counter-protesters.
Heather Heyer, a counter-protester, was killed after James Alex Fields drove his car into a crowd.
Biden frequently references the Charlottesville violence as a major motivator for his decision to run for the White House in 2020, and he often cites Trump's response to the event, in which the then-president said there was blame on “both sides,” as well as “very fine people on both sides.”
Trump’s comments Thursday came as college campus protests over the war between Israel and Hamas, which has resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza, have garnered nationwide attention. Lawmakers have traveled to Columbia University in New York City, where demonstrations on campus have sparked criticism for some antisemitic elements.
Biden has condemned antisemitism in the protests, but he also has condemned those who “don’t understand what’s going on with the Palestinians.”
The president has for months sought to walk a careful line, publicly vowing support for Israel’s right to defend itself against Hamas after last October’s attack by the militant group killed more than 1,100 Israelis, while simultaneously pushing Israel to do more to protect civilians in Gaza.
Date: | |
Tag: | Donald Trump |
Filter
-
Mark Hamill calls Biden 'Joe-B-Wan Kenobi' in White House press room appearance
Mark Hamill says the force is with President Biden — the actor made a surprise visit Friday to the White House briefing room and offered a "Star Wars"-inspired nickname for the commander in chief. "How many of you had 'Mark Hamill will lead the ...The Hill - Politics - Joe Biden -
Brady-backed Birmingham drops to third division
Birmingham City have been relegated from the Championship, ending a difficult first season for the club's American owners, which includes NFL legend Tom Brady.ESPN - Sports -
White House holds press briefing
Watch live coverage as White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre holds a press briefing.NBC News - Top stories -
Trump's onetime fixer Michael Cohen grew despondent when he learned he wouldn't be getting a White House job, a former lawyer for porn star Stormy Daniels said at Trump's hush-money trial.
Trump’s onetime fixer Michael Cohen grew despondent when he learned he wouldn’t be getting a White House job, a former lawyer for porn star Stormy Daniels said at Trump’s hush-money trial.The Wall Street Journal - World - Donald Trump -
Charles ‘Peanut' Tillman has hilarious reaction to Rome Odunze's favorite player growing up
If you don’t already know, new Bears wide receiver Rome Odunze was a huge Bears fan growing up. His first football jersey, as he recalled before the draft, was Brian Urlacher. His favorite player was return specialist and 2024 Hall of Fame class ...Yahoo Sports - Sports - United Kingdom -
Hope Hicks testifies at Trump trial about fallout from "hush money" payments
Hope Hicks, one of former President Donald Trump's closest aides for years, told jurors how she handled the fallout from "hush money" payments made to two women before the 2016 election.CBS News - Politics - Donald Trump -
White House news briefing: Watch live
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre is scheduled to brief reporters on Friday afternoon. The briefing comes after President Biden drew a clear line in a Thursday address between his administration’s support for Israel in its war against ...The Hill - Politics -
White House shakes up its immigration team
The White House is shaking up its roster of immigration advisers, bringing in a top border enforcement policy leader and a development expert to round out its team. Blas Nuñez-Neto comes to the White House from the Department of Homeland Security ...The Hill - Politics -
White House extending healthcare access to DACA recipients
In November, thousands of DACA recipients will receive access to healthcare under the Affordable Care Act. CBS News senior White House correspondent Weijia Jiang breaks down the news.CBS News - Top stories -
White House extends health insurance access to ‘Dreamers’
Click in for more news from The Hill {beacon} Health Care Health Care The Big Story White House extends health insurance access to ‘Dreamers’ The Biden administration on Friday announced it will expand health insurance coverage to 100,000 ...The Hill - Politics
More from The Hill
-
Less is more: The Supreme Court should not decide immunity ‘for the ages’
Instead, the court should keep it simple, treat the Trump immunity decision as the easy “non-official” electioneering case that it is, and avoid making a definitive, complicated and time-consuming ruling on presidential immunity for other ...The Hill - Politics -
State police arrest 25 protestors at University of Virginia
State police officers arrested around 25 pro-Palestine protestors at the University of Virginia (UVa.) on Saturday. Saturday was the fifth day of the ongoing protests in Charlottesville, Va., where calls for the school to divest from Israel ...The Hill - Politics -
Trump campaign says it raised $76 million last month
Former President Trump and the Republican National Committee (RNC) raised over $76 million last month, according to a campaign official. Trump’s advisers, Susie Wiles, Chris LaCivita and Tony Fabrizio, shared that the former president’s political ...The Hill - Politics - Donald Trump -
Democratic rep says Johnson can't be punished for 'doing the right thing'
Democratic congressman Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) said that Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) shouldn't be punished for “doing the right thing” after Democratic leadership said they would come to Johnson's rescue if the push to remove him from his position ...The Hill - Politics -
D.C. appeals court temporarily suspends ex-Trump lawyer's law license
The D.C. Court of Appeals has temporarily suspended the law license of former President Trump's ex-lawyer following a similar order made in late March by a California State Bar Court. Former Trump attorney John Eastman’s license is suspended in ...The Hill - Politics - Donald Trump