3:26
- ABC News
- Donald Trump
- August 13, 2017
Trump scrutinized for response to rally violence
Charlottesville, Va., declared a state of emergency in response to the rally.
3:26
In response to the attention received by Trump's choice of words, a White House official elaborated that \"there was violence between protesters and counter-protesters today.\"
James Alex Fields, Jr., 20, of Ohio was in police custody and charged with second degree murder in connection with the incident, and an additional 19 people were being treated for injuries, according to the Charlottesville Police.
After noting that the issues being confronted in Virginia have \"been going on for a long time in our country,\" Trump called for \"a swift restoration of law and order and the protection of innocent lives.\"
\"We have to come together as Americans with love for our nation, and -- really, I say this so strongly -- true for each other,\" said Trump, who then pivoted to a discussion about the decine in the United States' unemployment rate and manufacturing growth, before returning to the subject of national unity.
\"We must love each other, respect each other and cherish our history and our future together,\" he continued. \"So important. We have to respect each other. Ideally we have to love each other.\"
The president, who touted his posture against terrorism throughout his campaign for office last year and has since signed controversial executive orders aimed at protecting Americans, did not label Saturday's incident as an act of terror in his remarks and declined to answer shouted questions on the subject from reporters afterward.
A chorus of Washington legislators, including Sens. Ted Cruz, R-Texas; Marco Rubio R-Fla.; Tim Scott, R-S.C. and Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, R-Wis. all termed the attack terrorism Saturday.
Earlier in the day, Trump joined a chorus of figures from across the U.S. political spectrum to speak out against the white nationalist rally, tweeting, \"We ALL must be united & condemn all that hate stands for. There is no place for this kind of violence in America. Lets come together as one!\"
We ALL must be united & condemn all that hate stands for. There is no place for this kind of violence in America. Lets come together as one!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 12, 2017
He was joined by Vice President Mike Pence as well as First Lady Melania Trump in speaking out about the situation.
\"Our country encourages freedom of speech, but let's communicate w/o hate in our hearts. No good comes from violence. #Charlottesville,\" Melania Trump wrote on Twitter.
Some on social media criticized the timing of Trump's response to the rally, noting that it emerged after several other prominent political figures had already spoken out about the event.
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