President Donald Trump bitingly decried the rising movement to pull down monuments to Confederate icons Thursday, declaring the nation is seeing 香蕉视频直播渢he history and culture of our great country being ripped apart.香蕉视频直播�
Trump香蕉视频直播檚 new remarks came even as the White house tried to manage his increasing isolation and the continued fallout from his combative comments on last weekend香蕉视频直播檚 racially charged violence in Charlottesville, Virginia.
He also tore into fellow Republicans who have criticized his statements on race and politics, fanning the controversy toward a full-fledged national conflagration.
Pressured by advisers, the president had taken a step back from the dispute on Monday, two days after he had enraged many by declining to single out the white supremacists and neo-Nazis whose demonstration against the removal of a Robert E. Lee statute had led to violence and the death of a counter-protester in Charlottesville.
He returned to his combative stance on Wednesday 香蕉视频直播� insisting anew that 香蕉视频直播渂oth sides香蕉视频直播� were to blame. And then in a burst of tweets on Thursday he renewed his criticism of efforts to remove memorials and tributes to the Civil War Confederacy.
香蕉视频直播淵ou can香蕉视频直播檛 change history, but you can learn from it,香蕉视频直播� he tweeted. 香蕉视频直播淩obert E. Lee. Stonewall Jackson 香蕉视频直播� who香蕉视频直播檚 next, Washington, Jefferson? So foolish. 香蕉视频直播�
香蕉视频直播淎lso the beauty that is being taken out of our cities, towns and parks will be greatly missed and never able to be comparably replaced!香蕉视频直播�
He wasn香蕉视频直播檛 talking about beauty in earlier tweets, lashing at GOP Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Jeff Flake of Arizona.
He accused 香蕉视频直播減ublicity-seeking香蕉视频直播� Graham of falsely stating his position on the demonstrators, called Flake 香蕉视频直播渢oxic香蕉视频直播� and praised a Flake primary election opponent.
Graham said Wednesday that Trump 香蕉视频直播渢ook a step backward by again suggesting there is moral equivalency香蕉视频直播� between the marching white supremacists and the people who had been demonstrating against them. And Flake has been increasingly critical of Trump in recent weeks.
Other Republicans, including the most powerful in Congress, have been making strong statements on Charlottesville and racism, but few have been mentioning Trump himself.
The Senate香蕉视频直播檚 top Republican, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, condemned 香蕉视频直播渉ate and bigotry.香蕉视频直播� House Speaker Paul Ryan charged that, 香蕉视频直播淲hite supremacy is repulsive.香蕉视频直播� But neither criticized the president香蕉视频直播檚 insistence that there were 香蕉视频直播渧ery fine people on both sides香蕉视频直播� of the violent weekend clash in Virginia.
The nuanced statements reflect the party establishment香蕉视频直播檚 delicate dance. Few top Republican officeholders want to defend the president in the midst of an escalating political crisis, yet they are unwilling to declare all-out opposition to him and risk alienating his loyalists.
In another major sign of discontent within the Republican Party, Trump abruptly abolished two of his White House business councils Wednesday as corporate chiefs began resigning in protest of his racial statements.
香蕉视频直播淩ather than putting pressure on the businesspeople of the Manufacturing Council & Strategy & Policy Forum, I am ending both. Thank you all!香蕉视频直播� Trump tweeted from New York. His action came after one of the panels had already agreed to disband earlier in the day.
The White House is trying to deal with the repercussions from Trump香蕉视频直播檚 defiant remarks on the Virginia tragedy. Advisers hunkered down, offering no public defence while privately expressing frustration with his comments.
But Trump himself, staying at his golf club in New Jersey, was increasing rather than slowing his tweet-a-thon.
On Wednesday, he had told associates he was pleased with how his combative press conference had gone a day earlier, saying he believed he had effectively stood up to the media, according to three people familiar with the conversations who demanded anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about them.
Business leaders felt differently.
Denise Morrison, chief executive of Campbell Soup, declared she was leaving Trump香蕉视频直播檚 manufacturing council, saying, 香蕉视频直播淭he president should have been 香蕉视频直播� and still needs to be 香蕉视频直播� unambiguous香蕉视频直播� in denouncing white supremacists.
CEOs had begun tendering their resignations from White House panels after Trump香蕉视频直播檚 initial comments following the Saturday violence. The first to step down, Kenneth Frazier of Merck, drew a Twitter tongue-lashing from the president. Later, Trump called those who were leaving 香蕉视频直播済randstanders香蕉视频直播� and insisted many others were eager to take their places.
Members of the Strategy and Policy group, led by Blackstone CEO Stephen Schwarzman, concluded after a 45-minute conference call in the morning that they would end the council and announce their decision in a statement, according to two people familiar with the discussions. They insisted on anonymity to discuss private conversations.
In a subsequent call with Trump, the president agreed it was the right course of action. He tweeted before they could announce the decision they香蕉视频直播檇 reached 香蕉视频直播� making it appear it was his choice.
Publicly criticizing the president and resigning from his councils is a significant step for big-name corporate leaders. Though the policy influence of such advisory groups is sometimes questionable, simply meeting with Trump with TV cameras going is valuable face-time for the executives 香蕉视频直播� and for the president.
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Bykowicz reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Darlene Superville in Bridgewater, new Jersey, and Josh Boak in Washington contributed to this report.
Julie Bykowicz And Jonathan Lemire, The Associated Press
