President Trump made a statement about infrastructure from Trump Tower Tuesday night. He said that he would be streamlining the process for construction, for it often takes 20 to 25 years even to get a contract signed. You wouldn’t know that Trump had showed up to talk infrastructure judging by the media’s fixation, however. Almost every reporter in the building wanted to know why the president did not directly condemn white supremacy following this weekend's tragedy in Charlottesville, VA. On Monday, Trump made a much clearer statement from the White House, where he denounced white nationalism loud and clear.
“I wanted to make sure what I said was correct,” Trump told reporters. “Before I make a statement, I need the facts.
He added that that's where he and the "fake media" differ.
The president went on to explain that not everyone who attended the weekend’s protest in Charlottesville was a racist. Some concerned and frustrated citizens were there to “innocently and legally” protest the removal of the Robert E. Lee statue in Charlottesville. Are statues of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson coming down next? he wondered. After all, they were slave owners too.
“You’re changing history,” Trump told the press. “You’re changing culture.”
The neo-Nazi faction in Charlottesville were violent, Trump acknowledged, and should be condemned. So, too, however, should the “alt-left,” who came “swinging clubs” as well.
“I think there’s blame on both sides,” he observed.
Trump acknowledged the young woman who died during the protests, noting that her mother wrote him and said “the nicest things” about his response.
The driver of the car who killed her is “a disgrace to himself, his family and his country,” Trump said.
Trump was also asked about reports that he is considering firing White House Chief Strategist Stephen Bannon, who is rumored to have sympathy toward the “alt-right” movement.
“He is not a racist,” Trump said of Bannon. “He’s a good person.”