Following Donald Trump’s Tuesday comments on the violence in Charlottesville, prominent liberal journalists were quick to rush to judgment about the president criticizing both the alt-right and what he calls the “alt-left.”
Twitter’s news aggregator is now describing his speech as a defense of white nationalists.
As many journalists condemned Trump over a false quote, others expressed anger over the president’s decision to call out the alt-left in its role in the Charlottesville violence, which saw one woman killed after James Alex Fields Jr. drove into a crowd of counter-protesters.
Headlining Twitter’s built-in “Moments” tab, which offers up-to-date news and trending events, the company described Donald Trump’s presser as a defense of white nationalists.
“Reactions pour in after Trump defends white nationalists in presser,” the Twitter headline read.
“There was widespread shock and condemnation after the president attempted to share the blame for the events in Charlottesville between white nationalists and what he called the ‘alt-left,’” the description read.
Twitter Moments Charlottesville Trump Presser (Screenshot: Twitter)
The “moment” compiled numerous reactions from numerous Democratic and Republican politicians. Two of the Republicans included were Paul Ryan and Marco Rubio, both of whom offered clear condemnations of white supremacists.
Other lawmakers — including Bernie Sanders, Brian Schatz, Chuck Schumer, and Bill de Blasio — condemned Trump.
Despite their condemnations of Trump, it’s worth noting that while answering questions, he explicitly condemned neo-Nazis and white nationalists by name, describing them as “bad people.”
“I’ve condemned neo-Nazis,” said Trump.
“I’ve condemned many groups, but not all of those people were neo-Nazis, believe me,” continued Trump in reference to some of the people who gathered to protest the removal of the Robert E. Lee statue in Charlottesville. “Not all of those people were white supremacists, by any stretch.”
Trump insisted that many of the people attending the rally were simply there to protest the city’s decision to tear down the statue, and remarked that it wouldn’t stop there.
“So, this week it’s Robert E. Lee,” said Trump. “I noticed that Stonewall Jackson is coming down. I wonder is it George Washington next week and is it Thomas Jefferson the week after? You know, you really do have to ask yourself where does it stop?”
Ian Miles Cheong is a journalist and outspoken media critic. You can reach him through social media at @stillgray on Twitter and on Facebook.