Donald Trump Again Blames ‘Both Sides’ For Charlottesville Violence | MTP Daily

>> GOOD EVENING. I'M CHUCK TODD HERE IN
WASHINGTON. WELCOME TO "MTP DAILY."
FOLKS, WHAT I JUST SAW GAVE ME THE WRONG KIND OF CHILLS.
OBVIOUSLY, I'M A BIT SHAKEN FROM WHAT I JUST HEARD.
AND I SUSPECT IT'S NOT JUST ME. MOMENTS AGO AT TRUMP TOWER, THE
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES PAINTED WHITE NATIONALISTS AND
MEMBERS OF THE ALT-RIGHT AS VICTIMS OF WHAT HE DESCRIBED AS
CLUB-WIELDING MEMBERS OF THE ALT-LEFT.
IT WAS A CHILLING MIX OF WHAT ABOUT-ISM, FALSE EQUIVALENCE AND
A TOTAL MUDDYING OF THE WATERS AFTER ONE PERSON WAS KILLED AND
AT LEAST 19 PEOPLE WERE INJURED AFTER MEMBERS OF THE KKK,
NEO-NAZIS, AND WHITE SUPREMACISTS PROTESTED THE
REMOVAL OF A CONFEDERATE STATUE IN CHARLOTTESVILLE.
WHERE TO BEGIN? YOU MIGHT AS WELL START WITH THE
PRESIDENT PAINTING THESE PROTESTERS AS THE REAL VICTIMS
OF A VIOLENT LEFT-WING MOVEMENT. >> WANT THE ALT-LEFT THAT CAME
CHARGING AT THE -- AS YOU SAY, THE ALT-RIGHT?
DO THEY HAVE ANY SEMBLANCE OF GUILT?
>> MR. PRESIDENT -- >> LET ME ASK YOU THIS, WHAT
ABOUT THE FACT THEY CAME CHARGING -- THAT THEY CAME
CHARGING WITH CLUBS IN THEIR HANDS, SWINGING CLUBS.
DO THEY HAVE ANY PROBLEM? I THINK THEY DO.
I WATCHED THOSE VERY CLOSELY, MUCH MORE CLOSELY THAN YOU
PEOPLE WATCHED IT. AND YOU HAVE -- YOU HAD A GROUP
ON ONE SIDE THAT WAS BAD AND YOU HAD A GROUP ON THE OTHER SIDE
THAT WAS ALSO VERY VIOLENT. AND NOBODY WANTS TO SAY THAT.
BUT I'LL SAY IT RIGHT NOW. YOU HAD A GROUP -- YOU HAD A
GROUP ON THE OTHER SIDE THAT CAME CHARGING IN WITHOUT A
PERMIT AND IT WAS VERY, VERY VIOLENT.
>> SURE, WHEN VIOLENCE BREAKS OUT LIKE WHAT WE SAW THIS
WEEKEND, THERE'S USUALLY MORE THAN ENOUGH BLAME TO GO AROUND.
BUT WHEN WAS THE LAST TILE YOU SAW A PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED
STATES DEFEND THE CAUSE OF WHITE NATIONALISTS?
HERE'S THE PRESIDENT TALKING ABOUT THE REMOVAL OF CONFEDERATE
MONUMENTS. >> IS IT GEORGE WASHINGTON NEXT
WEEK? AND IS IT THOMAS JEFFERSON THE
WEEK AFTER? YOU KNOW, YOU ALL -- YOU REALLY
DO HAVE TO ASK YOURSELF, WHERE DOES IT STOP?
YOU'RE CHANGING HISTORY, YOU'RE CHANGING CULTURE.
AND YOU HAVE PEOPLE -- AND I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT THE NEO-NAZIS
AND THE WHITE NATIONALISTS, BECAUSE THEY SHOULD BE CONDEMNED
TOTALLY. BUT YOU HAD MANY PEOPLE IN THAT
GROUP OTHER THAN NEO-NAZIS AND WHITE NATIONALISTS, OKAY?
AND THE PRESS HAS TREATED THEM ABSOLUTELY UNFAIRLY.
>> YES, THE PRESIDENT JUST CONFLATED THE CONFEDERACY AND
THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. ANYWAY, HE PLEADED IGNORANCE
WHEN HE REFUSED TO ADMIT THAT HE WAITED TOO LONG TO DENOUNCE THE
KKK AND NEO-NAZIS AND WHITE SUPREMACISTS, WHO WERE AT THAT
RALLY. >> WHY DID YOU WAIT SO LONG
TO -- >> I DIDN'T WAIT LONG.
I DIDN'T WAIT LONG. I DIDN'T WAIT LONG.
I WANTED TO MAKE SURE, UNLIKE MOST POLITICIANS, THAT WHAT I
SAID WAS CORRECT. NOT MAKE A QUICK STATEMENT.
THE STATEMENT I MADE ON SATURDAY, THE FIRST STATEMENT,
WAS A FINE STATEMENT. BUT YOU DON'T MAKE STATEMENTS
THAT DIRECT UNLESS YOU KNOW THE FACT.
IT TAKES A LITTLE WHILE TO GET THE FACTS.
YOU STILL DON'T KNOW THE FACTS. AND IT'S A VERY, VERY IMPORTANT
PROCESS TO ME. EVERYBODY SAID, HIS STATEMENT
WAS BEAUTIFUL. IF HE WOULD HAVE MADE IT SOONER,
THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN GOOD. I COULDN'T HAVE MADE IT SOONER,
BECAUSE I DIDN'T KNOW ALL OF THE FACTS.
FRANKLY, PEOPLE STILL DON'T KNOW ALL OF THE FACTS.
>> I'M SURE YOU REMEMBER ALL THE TIMES THAT CANDIDATE TRUMP
WAITED TO LEARN THE FACTS ABOUT A SITUATION BEFORE HE TWEETED.
I REMEMBER THAT A LOT DURING THE CAMPAIGN.
AND LAST, BUT CERTAINLY NOT LEAST, HE DID NOT EXPRESS TOTAL
CONFIDENCE IN HIS CHIEF POLITICAL STRATEGIST, STEVE
BANNON, WHO IS BASICALLY, SOME WOULD ARGUE, THE CHIEF EMISSARY
IN THAT WHITE HOUSE TO THE ALT-RIGHT.
>> DO YOU STILL HAVE CONFIDENCE IN STEVE?
>> WELL, WE'LL SEE. LOOK, LOOK, I LIKE MR. BANNON,
HE'S A FRIEND OF MINE. BUT MR. BANNON CAME ON VERY
LATE. YOU KNOW THAT.
I WENT THROUGH 17 SENATORS, GOVERNORS, AND I W WON ALL THE
PRIMARIES. MR. BANNON CAME ON VERY MUCH
LATER THAN THAT. AND I LIKE HIM, HE'S A GOOD MAN,
HE IS NOT A RACIST. I CAN TELL YOU THAT.
HE'S A GOOD PERSON. HE ACTUALLY GETS A VERY UNFAIR
PRESS IN THAT REGARD. BUT WE'LL SEE WHAT HAPPENS WITH
MR. BANNON. BUT HE'S A GOOD PERSON AND I
THINK THE PRESS TREATS HIM, FRANKLY, VERY UNFAIRLY.
>> THAT HAD TO BE THE MOST UNCOMFORTABLE DEFENSE THAT STEVE
BANNON'S EVER HAD SOMEBODY MAKE FOR HIM, DEFENDING HIM AND
SAYING, BUT WE DON'T KNOW ABOUT HIS JOB.
FOLKS, BUCKLE UP. BECAUSE THE FALLOUT FROM THESE
REMARKS TODAY ARE GOING TO BE TRULY MASSIVE.
DAVID DUKE, THAT FORMER GRAND WIZARD OF THE KKK, JUST TWEETED,
"THANK YOU, PRESIDENT TRUMP, FOR YOUR HONESTY AND COURAGE TO TELL
THE TRUTH ABOUT CHARLOTTESVILLE AND CONDEMN THE

Donald Trump Again Blames ‘Both Sides’ For Charlottesville Violence | MTP Daily | MSNBC

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