
Donald Trump's weak condemnation of the far-right protestors in Charlottesville has drawn widespread criticism.
On Saturday, the President gave a speech from Bedminister, New Jersey where announced his disapproval of the violence in the Virginia city, declaring that 'many sides' were guilty in the conflict.
While denouncing the violence, in which one person was killed by a car (driven by a suspected white supremacist into a crowd of counter demonstration), was the right thing to do Trump failed to specifically identify the ring wing demonstrators as white supremacists or neo-Nazis.
Members of the Alt-Right, Ku Klux Klan and other extreme right wing groups were present at the rally, which was organised to protest the removal of a statue of Confederate General, Robert E Lee.
However, other American politicians were far quicker to label them as racists, who are aiming to divide their country.
Let's call what's happening in Charlottesville what it is: white supremacy and terrorism. Stop watering it down with terms like "Alt Right".— Dr. Jill Stein🌻 (@Dr. Jill Stein🌻) 1502567288
Even Trump's fellow Republican's didn't shy away from using terms like supremacists, bigotry and even terrorism.
These bigots want to tear our country apart, but they will fail. America is far better than this. https://t.co/bxHFY9Eprl— Ted Cruz (@Ted Cruz) 1502588706
Very important for the nation to hear @potus describe events in #Charlottesville for what they are, a terror attack by #whitesupremacists— Marco Rubio (@Marco Rubio) 1502573411
However, Orrin Hatch proved to have one of the most personal and powerful reactions to the rally.
The Senator for Utah, who is 83-years-old, referenced his brother who died in World War II, when he deplored the extremist's actions.
We should call evil by its name. My brother didn't give his life fighting Hitler for Nazi ideas to go unchallenged here at home. -OGH— Senator Hatch Office (@Senator Hatch Office) 1502574082
The post has since gone viral, achieving over 45,000 retweets at the time of writing.
Many people applauded his words in the comments encouraging him and other politicians to remove Trump from the White House, as many believe the language he used during his campaign has emboldened these fringe groups.
@senorrinhatch While I may disagree with many of your political positions, THIS is an example of what needs 2 be he… https://t.co/ExtLlU7df4— Alex Skolnick (@Alex Skolnick) 1502617390
Trump's rather inadequate dealing of his first social crisis was further exemplified by a speech given by Virginia Governor, Terry McAuliffe.
In a strong and defiant message, the Democrat claimed that the protestors were Nazi's, were not patriots and reminded them all that anyone who wasn't a Native American was an immigrant.
"Our diversity, that mosaic tile of immigrants, is what makes us so special. And we will not let anybody come here… https://t.co/jVrP9fNrAZ— Channel 4 News (@Channel 4 News) 1502613390