Trump retweets, then deletes, video of supporter shouting 'white power'
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[June 29, 2020]
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S.
President Donald Trump retweeted a video showing one of his supporters
in Florida shouting "white power" at protesters of his administration,
drawing rebukes from allies and adversaries as protests continue in the
aftermath of George Floyd's death.
The video on Twitter, which was later deleted from the president's feed,
showed Trump protesters and supporters in Florida shouting profanities
at each other. After a protester called a Trump supporter a racist, the
man responded by raising his fist and shouting, "white power." The
slogan is often used by white supremacists.
"There's no question that he should not have retweeted it and he should
just take it down," U.S. Senator Tim Scott, the Senate's only Black
Republican, told CNN's "State of the Union" program.
In the tweet, Trump wrote: "Thank you to the great people of The
Villages", a retirement community in Florida he visited last year.
White House spokesman Judd Deere said the president "is a big fan of The
Villages. He did not hear the one statement made on the video. What he
did see was tremendous enthusiasm from his many supporters."
The tweet comes on the heels of Trump's hostile response to protests
against racial injustice engulfing the United States following the death
of Floyd, an unarmed Black man who died after a white police officer
knelt on his neck for almost nine minutes in Minneapolis.
"It was so profanity laced, the entire thing was offensive. Certainly,
the comment about the white power was offensive," Scott added. "It's
indefensible. We should take it down."
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President Donald Trump exits the presidential limousine prior to
boarding Air force One as he departs Washington for travel to
Wisconsin from Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, U.S., June 25, 2020.
REUTERS/Carlos Barria
The Florida Democratic Party accused Trump of thanking "white
supremacists" for their support and called on Floridians to deny him
the swing state's support in the November election.
Trump has been accused of racism by lawmakers for attacks on Black
lawmakers and for telling four congresswomen of color that they
should "go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested
places from which they came."
Vice President Mike Pence refused repeated opportunities to say the
phrase "Black Lives Matter" on Sunday, telling CBS' "Face the
Nation" program: "I really believe that all lives matter and that's
where the heart of the American people lies."
Pence added that he views the Black Lives Matter movement as having
a "political agenda of the radical left" that calls for cutting off
funding for police departments and tearing down monuments.
(Reporting by David Morgan and Chris Sanders; Editing by Lisa
Shumaker)
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