Donald Trump made it as clear as possible during an impromptu press conference:
He’s basically a Nazi sympathizer.
The President “went rogue,” according to government officials, veering off script about the country’s infrastructure and arguing with journalists in New York City about what transpired in Charlottesville, Virginia over the weekend.
(A short summary: White Supremacists gathered in town, chanting racial epithets and saying they were fulfilling the promises of Trump himself.
After counter-protesters showed up on the streets, a few arrests were made, things turned violent and one 32-year old woman was run over in a car by a neo-Nazi.)
On Saturday, Trump issues a terse statement that blamed “many sides” for the conflict.
After receiving a great deal of backlash from everyone with a pulse for his failure to specifically call out racism, Nazism or White Supremacy, the Commander-in-Chief followed up with a few short remarks on Monday that referenced these groups.
And then he essentially took it all back yesterday afternoon.
“There are two sides to a story,” Trump said from his podium, referencing both the neo-Nazis and the group that came together in protest of them.
He went on to say there were “a lot of bad people” among the counter-protesters, adding:
“You had a group on one side that was bad, and you had a group on the other side that was also very violent.”
Forget the “alt-right,” Trump shot back at a reporter, what about the alt-left?
“Do they have any assemblage of guilt?” he asked. “What about the fact that they came charging with clubs in their hands, swinging clubs? Do they have any problem? I think they do.”
The blowback to these stunning (even for Donald Trump) comments was swift and strong on Twitter, where critics slammed the President as “a racist” and accused him of sending a “dog whistle to white supremacists.”
Former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke praised Trump for being “honest,” while even Fox News turned on him last night.
Kat Timpf said the press conference was “one of the biggest messes I’ve ever seen” and said she was wondering if she was watching “real life” as Trump rambled on about White Supremacy.
“It shouldn’t be some bold statement to say a gathering full of white supremacist Nazis doesn’t have good people in it. Those are all bad people. Period,” she added.
“And the fact that it’s controversial – I don’t know if I should just laugh so, I have too much eye makeup on to start crying right now. It’s disgusting.”
We’re a celebrity gossip website, of course, so here’s a look at what various celebrities said about Trump’s rant:
Of all the pointed critiques, however, Lady Gaga’s stands out for its simplicity.
“Do you think @realDonaldTrump @POTUS saying “both sides are to blame” in #Charlottesville makes him a racist supporter? Yes or no?” she asked her millions of followers, including a poll with the question.
She also wrote the following:
For the Black Community, tell us ways the non-racist white community who loves u can do better to help influence the country? #HowWeDoBetter
At this point, it’s almost a fair question to ask.
Donald Trump has been harder on Rosie O’Donnell than on modern day Nazis.
So with the Internet buzzing and Lady Gaga inquiring, we’ll go ahead and do the same.
DO YOU THINK THE PRESIDENT IS A RACIST?