President Trump joined a chorus of figures from across the U.S. political spectrum to speak out against the white nationalist rally that took place in Charlottesville, Virginia today, where clashes between white supremacists and counter-protest groups forced the city to declare a state of emergency.
"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!" Trump tweeted this afternoon.
The president's reaction comes after months of criticism from rights groups that he’s neglected to speak out vociferously enough against a contingent of his supporters that promote white nationalist views.
Vice President Mike Pence followed Trump by saying he stands with the president. Pence also mentioned Charlottesville by name in his tweet.
Later in the afternoon, Trump tweeted again in reaction to the events in Virginia, writing "Charlottesville sad!"
First Lady Melania Trump also commented on the rally, saying on Twitter that, "Our country encourages freedom of speech, but let's communicate w/o hate in our hearts. No good comes from violence. #Charlottesville"
On the other side of the aisle, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, an independent and self-described Democratic Socialist, called the rally "reprehensible."
"The white nationalist demonstration in #Charlottesville is a reprehensible display of racism and hatred that has no place in our society," Sanders wrote.
Chuck Schumer, the Democrats' leader in the Senate, echoed that sentiment, saying that the rally was "against everything the flag stands for."
Speaker of the House Paul Ryan was among the high-ranking Republicans to speak out against the rally, calling it "repugnant" and "vile."
"The views fueling the spectacle in Charlottesville are repugnant. Let it only serve to unite Americans against this kind of vile bigotry," Ryan wrote.
Ronna McDaniel, the GOP chairwoman, called the rally "dangerous" and "cowardly" in a tweet.
In a follow up tweet, McDaniel defended the rally's right to exist, while urging citizens to speak out against it.
"Free speech may give them the right to do this but also empowers us to unite to loudly speak out against it," she wrote.
from ABC News: Politics http://ift.tt/2vsTGrK
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