Violent acts taken on by the white nationalist movement have begun to reflect poorly on President Donald Trump after an event that recently occurred in Charlottesville, Virginia leaving one dead and over a dozen wounded.
Americans have taken to the idea that Trump is the cause of hate crimes breaking out all over the nation throughout these recent months. The public accused Trump inaccurately of being the reason our country stands facing domestic terrorism. In the past our country has encountered hate crimes acted out by Caucasian -Americans, this just happens to be the year that this group was given a name. Correlation does not imply causation, so the racism of one man, however influential, is not the cause of a widespread racist movement just because he is also racist.
These hate crimes are being made on home soil and not overseas, which is fueling fear that Americans are feeling. Denial of the problem at hand is no longer an option for many as these acts are being normalized in the media.
The attack that occurred in Charlottesville, Virginia brought dozens of opinions to the surface, with groups debating the origin and trying to pinpoint who is to blame for the white nationalist acts that have been occurring widespread over the country.
Trump’s past communication with the public allows him to stand as an easy target to the those who are just looking for the cause of the recent threats being made. Some believe Trump encouraged the ‘white nationalist’ movement by the comments he made in the beginning of his election. He started his presidency making sexist and racist comments to those who he was above as well as to the nation he was entrusted to lead.
ABC News quoted Trump saying that the issues occurring have “been going on for a long time in the country.”
This may seem as though he is looking for an out for himself and the organization that works with him. Trump is not to blame for the hate crimes acted out in the past months, he just suffers from the association since this is the time that the group was given a name. The group being now classified as one unit is what makes them easily publicized.
The Huffington Post’s website states that after Trump talked on the issue of the attack he had conflicting sides on his speech with 79 percent of democrats and 52 percent of independents believing he could have stepped up his speech and added stronger points through out it. While many disagree with the strength of this speech, 59 percent of republicans thought it was well spoken and hit the important points.
