As president….
When you see people carrying Nazi and confederate flags screaming and shouting racist slurs openly….
When you see people carrying Nazi and confederate flags marching with full militia gear and openly brandishing weapons on the street…
You condemn them. Specifically them. Right away.
You condemn their ideologies. You condemn them by name. You tell them they have no place in America. You tell them that America fought long bloody wars against their ideas, and won. You tell them America will continue to fight their ideas. You remind them how America stands up for all creeds, races, religions and then you remind them again of the atrocities that have been done while representing those symbols they are carrying.
There are not two sides to this issue. There are no people that I would consider “good people” at a protest where Nazi and Confederate flags are being held, where Nazi salutes are being given, and where racist chants are being shouted. If you were there to protest the statue being removed, and this is what it turned out to be, and you stayed at the rally, you’re given support those ideas, and I’m not sure how you can defend that.
If you want to come out and say, we cannot fight these groups with violence, that violent protests cannot be part of standing up to these groups and their hatred, that’s one thing.
But to say there is blame on both sides of this issue is wrong.
And to not call this domestic terrorism, when the same act committed by a Muslim in a foreign country is immediately called out by you as radical Muslim terrorism is just sad.
When the words you’ve chosen to say, as president, as the leader of our country, are hailed as support by white supremacists, you’ve chosen the wrong words.