Ben Cardin accuses Trump of distancing himself from American values in Charlottesville response

Sen. Ben Cardin said Monday that President Trump has “distanced” himself from American values by failing to call out white nationalists over the weekend.

“He’s gotta call it what it is and his missed that opportunity. Moving forward, I would hope the president would be much more sensitive to these types of issues and show leadership. But I must tell you I have not seen that at all — didn’t see it during the campaign, have not seen it during his first months as president — this clarity about our values in this country and that’s disturbing,” Mr. Cardin, Maryland Democrat, said on CNN.

“This country strengthens in our diversity and he has certainly distanced himself from the traditional values of America,” he added.

Mr. Cardin was reacting to Mr. Trump’s response to violent protests in Charlottesville, Virginia, over the weekend where one woman and two police officers were killed and scores injured. White supremacists and neo-Nazis  descended on the city in a white nationalist rally to protest the removal of a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee.

Mr. Trump condemned the actions by saying that violence of any kind was unacceptable, which has drawn criticism from some for not specifically calling out the white supremacists.

“The president has to be clear. This is about moral clarity. What happened in Virginia is a tragedy. It was an act of terror by white supremacists, and he needs to be very specific about those responsible for that tragedy,” Mr. Cardin said.

“There’s no question it was a missed opportunity by the president. And his reactions have been very problematic many times, [with] the things that he does not say, or the things that he leaves off the table,” he added.