David Duke Praises Trump’s ‘Courage’ For Spreading Blame Over Charlottesville Violence
Image by YouTube
By Aiden Pink August 15, 2017
Former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke praised President Trump’s “courage” for saying both sides bear blame for violence that erupted at a white supremacist march in Charlottesville
In a press conference at Trump Tower on Tuesday, the president criticized the decision to remove a statue of Confederate general Robert E. Lee from a Charlottesville public park. “”I wonder, is it George Washington next week and Thomas Jefferson the week after?” Trump asked. The president also said that there were “very fine people” mixed among the white nationalists, and that “the alt-left” had also instigated violence throughout the weekend.
Duke tweeted his support shortly after the press conference concluded. “Thank you President Trump for your honesty & courage to tell the truth about #Charlottesville & condemn the leftist terrorists in BLM/Antifa,” the former KKK Imperial Wizard wrote, referring to the Black Lives Matter campaign and the “antifa” anti-fascist movement.
Trump had been severely criticized, including by members of his own party, for his original statement about Charlottesville on Saturday, in which he said that there had been violence “on many sides.”
Trump was also criticized as a candidate for not immediately disavowing Duke’s political support.
Contact Aiden Pink at [email protected] or on Twitter, @aidenpink.
Why I became the Forward’s Editor-in-Chief
You are surely a friend of the Forward if you’re reading this. And so it’s with excitement and awe — of all that the Forward is, was, and will be — that I introduce myself to you as the Forward’s newest editor-in-chief.
And what a time to step into the leadership of this storied Jewish institution! For 129 years, the Forward has shaped and told the American Jewish story. I’m stepping in at an intense time for Jews the world over. We urgently need the Forward’s courageous, unflinching journalism — not only as a source of reliable information, but to provide inspiration, healing and hope.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
