President Trump denounced “all types of racism” and violence Saturday, comments that come ahead of the anniversary of the violent Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville.
The Aug. 12, 2017 Unite the Right rally, which was organized to protest the removal of a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee, resulted in the death of counterprotester Heather Heyer, who died after a self-identified neo-Nazi drove a vehicle into a crowd. Virginia State Police Troopers Lt. H. Jay Cullen III and Trooper-Pilot Berke M.M. Bates were also killed in a helicopter crash while policing the event.
“The riots in Charlottesville a year ago resulted in senseless death and division,” Trump tweeted Saturday morning. “We must come together as a nation. I condemn all types of racism and acts of violence. Peace to ALL Americans!”
The riots in Charlottesville a year ago resulted in senseless death and division. We must come together as a nation. I condemn all types of racism and acts of violence. Peace to ALL Americans!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 11, 2018
Trump signed a resolution in September 2017 that condemns white nationalists and supremacists, the Ku Klux Klan, neo-Nazis, and other hate groups. It also encouraged the executive branch and the administration to address the threat of these groups.
States of emergency have been declared by Virginia Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam and the City of Charlottesville from Aug. 10-12, given that there will be multiple events held to remember the anniversary.
A Unite the Right 2 protest is scheduled for Sunday in Lafayette Square in Washington, D.C., right by the White House. It was organized by Jason Kessler, who launched the original white supremacist rally last year.
Trump’s initial comments on the events in Charlottesville last year elicited widespread criticism when he said “both sides” shared blame for the violence.
