How the President, the Police, and the Media Embolden the Far-Right
When former FBI agent Michael German heard President Trump characterize the deadly violence that unfolded in Charlottesville, Virginia, after white nationalists rallied in support of a Confederate statue as the fault of “both sides,” he saw it as part of a broader pattern.
“I do think there’s blame on both sides,” the president said during a press conference on Tuesday, referring to the deadly events of Charlottesville. “What about the alt-left that came charging at the, as you say, the alt-right? Do they have any semblance of guilt?” the president asked. On Thursday, Trump tweeted: “Sad to see the history and culture of our great country ripped apart with the removal of our beautiful statues and monuments.”
According to German, the president’s response to Charlottesville is the latest in a series of actions he has taken to side with, and endorse, the viewpoint of far-right ideological movements,
