Former Vice President Joe Biden’s chief of staff said that President Donald Trump has not denounced white supremacy and neo-Nazis, despite Trump’s repeated repudiations to the contrary.
“The fundamental problem is the president couldn’t speak out against white supremacy. He didn’t speak out against Nazis. He didn’t speak out against racism,” Ron Klain said Tuesday on MSNBC’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports.”
In Trump’s first statement, he condemned violence “on both sides” but didn’t call out any groups by name. In his second statement on Charlottesville, the president denounced hateful white supremacists, directly citing the Ku Klux Klan and neo-Nazis.
“Racism is evil and those who cause violence in its name are criminals and thugs, including the KKK, neo-Nazis, white supremacists and other hate groups that are repugnant to everything we hold dear as Americans,” Trump said.
Despite the president’s attempts to distance himself from white supremacist violence, Klain continued to criticize Trump for not being direct enough with the American people.
“Donald Trump has to look into the camera and say to the American people, you know what I was wrong, I apologize, I didn’t speak up forcefully against these hateful forces in America. Until he does it, a bunch of just general stuff is not going to fix his problem,” Klain said.
You can Follow Nick on Twitter and Facebook
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.