New Outcry as President Trump Rebukes Charlottesville Racists 2 Days Later

The crisis in Charlottesville presented President Donald Trump with a choice between adopting the unifying tone of a traditional president or doubling down on the go-it-alone approach that got him elected in 2016. On August 14, President Trump offered a glimpse of a more calming and conventional president, but he ended the day with a flurry of angry tweets that left little doubt he intended to govern on his own terms. President Trump, after two days of issuing equivocal statements, bowed to overwhelming pressure that he personally condemn white supremacists who incited bloody weekend demonstrations in Charlottesville. But before and after his conciliatory statement — which called for “love,” “joy” and “justice” — President Trump issued classically caustic Twitter attacks.