03-16-2019, 11:19 AM
Quote:Donald Trump tweeted a link to Breitbart, a far-right website that peddles xenophobia and extremist ideologies, as a terrorist conducted a brutal massacre in New Zealand after releasing a manifesto that celebrated the US president as “a symbol of renewed white identity and common purpose.” The tragedy, in which two mosques were seemingly the target of a terrorist attack spearheaded by an Australian 28-year-old white male, occurred on Friday in Christchurch, New Zealand — the same day Breitbart featured an interview with Mr Trump on its homepage. The president responded to the mass shootings the following morning on Twitter in a statement that failed to describe the event as an act of terror, as New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern had called it the night before. He also deleted his tweet to the Breitbart website the day after the attack.New Zealand shooting: Trump tweets link to Islamophobic website amid Christchurch terror attack | The Independent
Quote:President Donald Trump used bizarre and ominous language Thursday in a Breitbart article when he vaguely discussed his supporters in the military, police, and biker gangs getting “tough” against the left and saying things could get “very bad, very bad.” But when Steve Cortes, a CNN contributor who frequently defends Trump, tried to explain what the president was saying he somehow made it worse. “I think it’s very important to be very precise about what the president actually said,” Cortes told host Erin Burnett, even though, as is typical, the president’s language was exceptionally imprecise and open to interpretation. “He did not in any way infer or say that he was going to use the military — meaning, in an official capacity — or the police in any way. What he was saying is, among those groups, he has enormous support. And that’s very clearly true. And he’s saying that those groups can defensively act with force if they have to because there is no doubt that violence on the left —” “Wait, Steve, are we seriously talking about having the military in a violent confrontation with the left, in this country?” said Burnett, cutting off Cortes and putting her face in her hands. Keith Boykin, a former President Bill Clinton aide who was also on CNN, likewise looked stunned at Cortes’ comments. Cortes tried to defend his claim, saying that Trump’s supporters, “as individuals, not as a military force, not as police forces, as individuals, if they need to, they will defend themselves. Because we’ve seen a marked rise in serious violence from the left.”CNN host is floored by her guest’s defense of Trump’s claim that his backers may need to use ‘force’ against the left – Alternet.org
Quote:New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern spoke with President Donald Trump on Friday in the wake of the horrific attack at two mosques in Christchurch that is believed to have killed 49 people. In recounting her conversation with Trump, she said: “He very much wished for his condolences to be passed on to New Zealand.” She continued: “He asked what support the U.S. could provide. My message was sympathy and love for all Muslim communities.” When asked what his response was, she said, “He acknowledged that and agreed.” But despite agreeing to the request on the phone, Trump didn’t follow through. When Trump held a public event on Friday in the Oval Office and addressed the devastating attack, he was seemingly unable to share the “love” and “sympathy” for all Muslim communities that Ardern had requested.New Zealand’s prime minister asked Trump to do this one thing after the mosque attack — but he completely failed – Alternet.org