With Donald Trump accusing President Obama of dividing the nation racially, the White House Monday called for a lowering of “supercharged rhetoric” in the wake of a black gunman murdering three police officers in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
“The president is hopeful that we won’t see the kind of overheated supercharged rhetoric that has a tendency to counterproductively inflame passions on both sides,” said White House press secretary Josh Earnest. “There’s so much common ground to be established here.”
Mr. Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, said Monday that Mr. Obama is powerless to stop a rise in violence in the U.S.
“He’s been a great divider in this country,” Mr. Trump said on Fox News. “I think race relations now are as bad as they’ve ever been. … statistically the worst they’ve been in 18 years. … I can tell you they’re bad and they haven’t been this bad in a long time.”
Referring to polls that show nearly three-quarters of Americans believe race relations are bad, Mr. Earnest said it is “an understandable human reaction to the violence that we’ve seen, to the overheated rhetoric that we’ve seen in some quarters.”
“The inclination to give into some pessimism and maybe even despair is a natural human tendency,” he said.
Mr. Earnest said several civil rights leaders decried violence against police Sunday after the officers in Baton Rouge were slain by a black gunman who police now say deliberately targeted cops.
“People like Al Sharpton, and Jesse Jackson, two individuals with long records as leaders in civil rights community, but even someone like Myra Richardson who is a notable Black Lives Matter activist,” Mr. Earnest said.
“The president is pleased to see the country coming together to condemn this outrageous act of violence and to show support for the vast majority of men and women in uniform who do an outstanding job protecting our community,” he said.
The president’s spokesman also said the White House still isn’t considering lighting up the executive mansion in blue as a show of respect for police officers after the Baton Rouge shootings.
Mr. Obama on Monday called Baton Rouge Police Chief Carl Dabadie Jr. and East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff Sid Gautreaux, III, “to offer his condolences to the men and women of the departments they lead, and support for the ongoing investigation,” the White House said.
Mr. Obama also placed calls to the families of those killed — Officer Matthew Gerald, Officer Montrell Jackson and Deputy Sheriff Brad Garafola “to offer his and the first lady’s condolences on behalf of the country for the loss of their loved ones,” the White House said.
SEE ALSO: Baton Rouge shooter ‘intentionally targeted and assassinated’ officers: Authorities
• Dave Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com.
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