Donald Trump on a stop in Rochester during the 2016 presidential campaign. Credit: FILE PHOTO

“Make America white again” signs. “Jews will not replace us” chants. Nazi flags. Torches and Nazi salutes. The predictable horror spawned by Donald Trump finally erupted in Charlottesville, Virginia, over the weekend in the white nationalists’ Unite the Right rally.

The reaction of the president? To wag his finger at the resulting violence, which he blamed on “many sides.”

Around the country, Americans appalled by the rally and the president’s words, have been speaking out. Now will Republicans in Congress repudiate him?

This article appears in Aug 16-22, 2017.

Mary Anna Towler is a transplant from the Southern Appalachians and is editor, co-publisher, and co-founder of City. She is happy to have converted a shy but opinionated childhood into an adult job. She...

6 replies on “The hate that Trump bred”

  1. The sad and sorry fact is that, no, while an individual Republican here and there might take issue with Trumps demagoguery, the vast majority of the party will not repudiate him. I could be cynical and argue that its because far more of them than we would care to believe agree with his social views. But Ill give them the benefit of the doubt and just say that theyre simply scared of the voting g strength of his Army of Deplorables. While most polls show that what support Trump had is eroding, the fact remains that he retains a hard core base of tens of millions of mindless fanatical followers who will go to the polls and vote the way he tells them. The majority of voters may agree that Trump is unqualified, unstable, untruthful and a national embarrassment, but we all knew that before last November and still over 40% of voters stayed home and Hillary only managed to garner about three million more votes than The Donald (and they were all from illegal voters, werent they Mr. Trump?).

    The 2018 midterms will tell the story, but as of today, no GOP politician who wants to stay in Congress is going to risk offending Donny and become the victim of a sophomoric tweet storm and an attack by the Trump Trolls in their district.

  2. This is the result of too much uncontested historical revisionism.

    Look to period documents re the causes and motivations of the Civil War, not to later re-writes that include “State’s Rights” that allow ethical wiggle room for Confederate devotees.

    It is dirty work now as then, but removal of Supremacist symbols should continue apace. Take out the trash.

  3. Ms. Towler, the president was not the one carrying Nazi flags, chanting anti-Jewish slogans, or carrying signs and torches. And here’s a revelation…he didn’t drive the car that killed the 32-year-old woman. And he did not “spawn” this hate, as you ignorantly stated. Neo-Nazis have existed for decades in case you weren’t aware. Trump has many times denounced white supremacists and all they stand for. And yes, several sides WERE involved and guilty of violent hate. There is little difference between hateful white racist Nazis and hateful black-clad anarchists and other left-wing extremists who incidentally have taken an active part of many violent protests across this country. Left-wing nut cases hold no moral authority over right-wing nut cases. They are all extremists. Repudiate him for speaking against the Nazis? I think not. Get a grip.

  4. To Marty Dennis:

    Republicans in Congress worried about offending Trump? What do you think they’ve been doing since he became elected? Sitting around a campfire proclaiming unity? Ever heard of John McCain? Susan Collins? Lisa Murkowski? Mitch McConnell? And today Tim Scott?

    Why do you think Trump’s constituents are so angry and frustrated with a GOP that has failed time and time again to uphold their promises to their voting base. Who do you think CREATED Donald Trump? It was the weak feckless republicans in Congress who are a part of the same comfortable swamp as their democrat rivals.

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