28 August, 2017
Trump, who unprecedentedly launched his campaign for re-election in 2020 nearly as soon as he was elected, appeared Tuesday at a campaign rally in Phoenix.
People gather for a vigil in response to the death of a counter-demonstrator at the "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville, outside the White House in Washington, U.S. August 13, 2017. White supremacists were in Charlottesville to protest the planned removal of a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. There is not a moral equivalence between those who oppose neo-Nazism, those who oppose white supremacy, those who oppose fascism, and those who engage in it and support it.
Trump has endured some of the most universal criticism of his presidency over his days of defense and contradictory responses to Charlottesville.
"I think he's up to the job", said Christie. "We have KKK. I got them all".
Trump's approval rating has dropped following his various statements on the subject, as some polls showed the majority of Americans disapproved of his handling of Charlottesville. What the president did not mention in Phoenix was that in his initial remarks within hours of the attack on August 12, he blamed "many sides" for the violence.
But among Republicans, 38% blamed white supremacists, compared to 30% who blamed counterprotesters, and 32% who said they didn't know.
"There is a small group of people in this country and everywhere in the world that are just bad", Graham, R-Seneca, said at a South Carolina Chamber of Commerce roundtable with the state's congressional leaders Wednesday.
Trump's Phoenix appearance was meant to tout his proposals for tax reform, but he did not mention the issue until near the end of a speech that lasted well over an hour.
A full 42% of respondents said Trump was putting white supremacists on equal standing with their opponents, while 35% said Trump was not. He also questioned the patriotism of reporters.
