Politics

Despite all the trouble it's gotten him in, President Donald Trump can't stop blaming both white supremacists and those who stood up to them in Charlottesville for the violence that ended with a young woman's death. According to CNBC, Trump told reporters Thursday that he told South Carolina Senator Tim Scott (the nation's only black Republican senator) that "you have some pretty bad dudes" who opposed the white nationalists and neo-Nazis who marched in Charlottesville. According to reporters on Air Force One, Trump said, "I think especially in light of the advent of Antifa, if you look at what's going on there. You have some pretty bad dudes on the other side also and essentially that's what I said. Now because of what's happened since then with Antifa. When you look at really what's happened since Charlottesville, a lot of people are saying and people have actually written, 'Gee, Trump may have a point.' I said there's some very bad people on the other side also." Trump made the remarks while flying back to Washington after surveying damage in Florida from Hurricane Irma. The Washington Post reports that earlier this week, the Senate unanimously passed a resolution, which Trump signed on Thursday, asking the White House to condemn white supremacy and “use all available resources to improve data collection on hate crimes and to work in a coordinated way to address the growing prevalence of hate groups.” But after doubling-down on his earlier comments, will the president ever effectively and unconditionally renounce and condemn white supremacy? Not if he thinks it will help him get re-elected.