Trump says white supremacy and sinister ideologies ‘must be defeated.’ Will he lead the way?

On Monday, President Trump spoke. He decried the weekend slaughters in El Paso and Dayton that left 31 people dead and dozens more wounded. He warned against a culture of hate. He even spoke about the rising threat of white nationalism. His words were scripted for a president. But did he believe what he said?

With the nation in shock and so many Americans feeling a sense of despair and helplessness, the president’s language was prepared to fit the moment. He has been given appropriate words at other times in his presidency, which he has read from a teleprompter, often with only minimal emotion. It is what presidents are expected to do. What this president does before and after those moments is the real issue.

Absent from the president’s remarks Monday was any note of self-reflection. He did not acknowledge even in the slightest that presidential language and presidential leadership help to set a tone, for good or ill. In decrying white supremacy, he did not suggest that, in any way, he has given aid and comfort to those who preach hatred or even violence against immigrants or people of color.

View the complete August 5 article by Dan Balz on The Washington Post website here.