President Trump signed a resolution Thursday that condemned the deadly violence at a white nationalist demonstration last month in Charlottesville, Virginia, saying he was pleased to sign it.
“As Americans, we condemn the recent violence in Charlottesville and oppose hatred, bigotry, and racism in all forms,” Mr. Trump said in a signing statement.
“No matter the color of our skin or our ethnic heritage, we all live under the same laws, we all salute the same great flag, and we are all made by the same almighty God,” he wrote. “We are a Nation founded on the truth that all of us are created equal. As one people, let us move forward to rediscover the bonds of love and loyalty that bring us together as Americans.”
Congress sent Mr. Trump the legislation to prod him to give a more forceful denunciation of racist hate groups, including the Ku Klux Klan and Neo-Nazis that in Charlottesville protested plans to remove a Confederate statue from a public park.
While white nationalist protesters and counter-protesters clashed at an Aug. 12 demonstration, a car sped into a crowd of counter-protesters and killed 32-year-old Heather Heyer and injured 19 others.
Mr. Trump was roundly criticized for saying in the immediate aftermath of the violence that there was “blame on both sides.” Mr. Trump later accused the news media of misreporting the entirety of his remarks that included condemnation of racist groups.
The resolution was unanimously approved by the House and Senate. It condemned the racist hate groups and called on the president to use all available resources to address the threats posed by those groups.
Earlier, however, Mr. Trump said he stood by his comments about the clashes in Charlottesville, noting recent violence by the left-wing Aftifa groups.
He made the comment regarding his meeting Wednesday with Sen. Tim Scott, a black South Carolina Republican who after Charlottesville said the president’s “moral authority is compromised.”
“We had a great talk yesterday,” Mr. Trump said earlier Thursday. “I think especially in light of the advent of antifa, if you look at what’s going on there, you know, you have some pretty bad dudes on the other side also. And essentially that’s what I said.”
• S.A. Miller can be reached at smiller@washingtontimes.com.
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