WASHINGTON (Reuters) – United States President Donald Trump retweeted a video showing one of his supporters in Florida yelling “white power” at his administration’s protesters, sparking reprimands from allies and adversaries as the protests continue. protests after the death of George Floyd.
The video on Twitter, which was later removed from the President’s feed, showed Trump protesters and supporters yelling profanity at each other in Florida. After a protester called a Trump supporter racist, the man responded by raising his fist and shouting “white power.” The slogan is often used by white supremacists.
“There is no question that he should not have been retweeted and should simply be removed,” US Senator Tim Scott, the only black Republican in the Senate, told CNN’s “State of the Union” program.
In the tweet, Trump wrote: “Thank you to the great people at The Villages,” a Florida retirement community that visited last year.
White House spokesman Judd Deere said the president “is a great admirer of The Villages.” He did not hear the only statement made in the video. What he did see was tremendous enthusiasm from his many followers. ”
The tweet comes immediately after Trump’s hostile response to protests against racial injustice affecting the United States following the death of Floyd, an unarmed black man who died after a white police officer knelt on his neck during almost nine minutes in Minneapolis.
“He was so blasphemed, everything was offensive. Certainly, the comment about white power was offensive, “added Scott. “It is indefensible. We should shoot it down.
The Florida Democratic Party accused Trump of thanking “white supremacists” for their support and asked Floridians to deny him state support in the November election.
Trump has been accused of racism by lawmakers for attacks on black lawmakers and for telling four congressmen of color that they should “return and help repair the totally broken and crime-infested places they came from.”
Vice President Mike Pence rejected repeated opportunities to say the phrase “Black Lives Matter” on Sunday, and told CBS’s “Face the Nation” show: “I really believe that all lives matter and that’s where the heart of the American people lies. ”
Pence added that he believes the Black Lives Matter movement has a “radical left political agenda” that calls for cutting funding for police departments and tearing down monuments.
Reports by David Morgan and Chris Sanders; Editing by Lisa Shumaker
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