On Saturday, August 12th, tragedy struck in Charlottesville, Virginia as the scourge that is Neo-Nazism marched and had a rally end in violence, a state of emergency, and the death of an innocent woman.
Neo-Nazism and the alt-right have had a resurgence recently that correlated with the rise of President Trump, a man that has specifically denounced their movement in the past.
Yet, in this moment, the President has fallen flat on something he claims to have zero-tolerance for: terrorism.
Trump held a press conference in which he spoke out against the violence on "many sides."
To an extent, he is correct. There is indeed violence on many sides, especially at this moment in our political climate.
The Antifa, or Anti-Fascists organization that showed up to the rally openly push for political violence against those they deem to be nazis. This group is directly responsible for riots all over the country and have assaulted numerous people for their political views, mostly conservatives with no connection to the alt-right.
There was no shortage of stories of Trump supporters being attacked and harassed during and after election season.
However, Antifa's violence is not what needs to be addressed at the moment. For now, they remain a small fringe group with little support from those with critical thinking skills and basic understanding of our nation's laws.
What needs to be addressed at this moment is the white supremacist movement and why it is picking up steam.
It is not possible to deny the confidence that Trump has instilled in these terror organizations calling for an "ethno-cleanse," whether intentional or not.
Soledad O'Brien tweeted a screenshot from an alt-right publication praising Trump's press conference, and the lack of denouncement of their group.
At this point, Trump's intentions do not matter, neither does the fact that Antifa supports violence. Trump himself must publicly, and specifically denounce white supremacist terrorism.
One of his biggest attacks on former President Obama was his clear tip-toeing around the phrase "radical Islamic terror." Yet, here stands Donald Trump, unable to say "white supremacy" in the face of a nation that needs a strong leader more than ever.
The issue this time is not what Trump has said, but what he will not say.
Former KKK leader David Duke has gone back and forth and seems disappointed by Trump's denouncement of the violence, yet the supremacy movement clearly still has confidence in him and this warped idea that he is their champion.
Trump needs to further disappoint Duke by strictly denouncing their movement and what it stands for, but he seems unable or unwilling to do so.
His daughter Ivanka specifically attacked the Neo-Nazi group on Twitter, something her father has failed to do in any capacity following the Charlottesville violence.
Senator, and former GOP Presidential candidate, Marco Rubio called upon Trump to specifically call the movement out in a duo of tweets:
Other members of the GOP have bashed Trump for his vagueness towards a movement that, despite its dwindling numbers, seems to have a newfound voice and relevance.
Their newfound pedestal is not all on President Trump, the media has elevated Richard Spencer, specifically CNN by putting him on their channel as if he is a politician with actual ideas.
Governor Terry McAuliffe of Virginia took a strict and very one-sided stance towards the Nazis, a position everyone should be able to take.
Neo-Nazism and white supremacy are ideals that have no place in the United States, yet our President seems to have a hard time agreeing with such a sentiment.
When President Trump was asked if he wants the support of white nationalists, he indeed walked off stage.
In a year where the media and Trump's opposition have filled headlines with lies, his failure to attack Neo-Nazism is one that rings true today.
A mouth that spews so much nonsense, and has attacked so many people, it seems that if he had hatred for these people, it would be a simple task for him.
Yet, when the time comes for Trump to do something important and take a real stand, he does not have what it takes.
During his campaign, Trump was loud, spiteful, and petty. He was a bull in a China shop.
But he was never spineless.
Even after his victory when alt-right Nazis said "Hail Trump" with a nazi salute, his response was swift and crushing.
In response to the criticism, a Trump spokesperson released a statement claiming that Trump's press conference quote encapsulated white supremacy, which is not a stretch.
His press conference stated that he does not stand for bigotry or hate, which is the basis of Nazism and white supremacy.
But again, that does not matter, his intentions may be correct.
Results are what matter, though, and President Trump cannot seem to get any.
White supremacists still seem inspired by him.
For a man that knows how to verbally assault people and groups he cannot stand, his vagueness on this issue has not and should not be taken lightly.
As President, Trump had one job to do when he took the stage for his presser following the violence. There was one phrase that he needed to utter.
After that, he could have talked about the other side, and the unity that he did.
Trump did not, and it seems like he himself will not, specifically attack White Supremacy.
Even if he does, the damage is irreversible. Trump's hesitation on the matter has struck a chord with millions.
White Supremacy is one of the movements that deserves no hesitation and no thought.
In a moment where a nation needed a leader, Trump did not show up, he could not take the stand.
Instead of walking out a leader, he left the press conference early, turning his back on the United States.
