Fallout continues: Reaction to Trump blaming 'both sides' for violence in Virginia
SAN FRANCISCO (KTVU) - At a contentious news conference from Trump Tower in New York on Tuesday, President Trump, coining the phrase, "alt-left", said counter protesters are also to blame for this weekend's violence in Virginia .
It was yet another reversal from the Commander In Chief on the white supremacist "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville.
Just a day earlier, on Monday he finally condemned Ku Klux Klan and neo-Nazi's, but many politicians on both sides of the aisle said it was too little too late and that his original response over the weekend didn't go far enough.
KTVU had a Q&A with former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown on the topic and was point-blank asked if he thought Donald Trump was a racist. His answer wasn't exactly yes or no, but he said he was acting like a racist.
“He read from a teleprompter yesterday and many people in this country thought that was a sincere presentation. It was clearly not. Donald Trump was being Donald Trump today," said Brown alluding to Trump only disavowing white supremacy and hate-group rallies because he was conceding to mounting pressure.
"I don’t think he’s capable of disavowing that collection of people for fear that it may cause him to be being un-elected,” Brown added.
Watch the full interview below:
The reaction on Twitter from other politicians, many from right here in the Bay Area and California, has been wide-spread and scathing.
Local SF-Bay Area Rep. Eric Swalwell slammed the president Tuesday for his delayed reaction on the day he re-insisted that the blame for violence in Charlottesville lies on "both sides" even invoking the term "alt-left".
Rep. Eric Swalwell:
On Monday, one day before the president placed blame for violence on both sides, it had taken President Trump about 48 hours to issue a condemnation where he branded KKK, neo-Nazi's and white supremacists as "criminals and thugs".
Sen Kamala Harris:
Over the weekend, on the day of the violence that killed one woman when a car ran through a crowd of counter protesters at the white supremacist rally, California Sen. Dianne Feinstein urged President Trump to condemn those events, saying hate and bigotry have no place in America.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein:
Rep. Barbara Lee, who represents the East Bay, claims the Trump administration is emboldening white supremacy as exemplified by tiki-torch wielding marchers in Virginia who chanted "Jew will not replace us."
Rep. Barbara Lee:
Rep. Ted Liu, who has been a consistent voice of dissent against the Trump administration tweeted that yes, there were both sides in Virginia, but that the president is on the wrong side.
Rep. Ted Liu:
Rep. Maxine Waters weighed in on President Trump's early attempts to distance himself from former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke during the 2016 campaign, adding that Duke said the white supremacist rally fulfills Trump's promises.
Rep. Maxine Waters:
On the other side of the political spectrum, Republican leaders like House Speaker Paul Ryan and Sen. Lindsey Graham tweeted about white supremacy's repulsiveness and how the president should use it as an opportunity for condemnation.
Rep. Paul Ryan:
Former Ku Klux Klan grand wizard himself, David Duke, weighed in to thank the president personally for his Tuesday reversal.
David Duke: