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| Former Obama speechwriter mocks Trump with reminder of Obama's tan suit 'scandal' | |
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| Donald Trump’s press conference in the lobby of Trump Tower in New York has been branded his most jaw-dropping yet. The US President managed to plug his winery while claiming blame should be shared by both sides for the violence in Charlottesville. | Donald Trump’s press conference in the lobby of Trump Tower in New York has been branded his most jaw-dropping yet. The US President managed to plug his winery while claiming blame should be shared by both sides for the violence in Charlottesville. |
| Mr Trump’s extraordinary conference, in which he defended the far-right extremists who descended on the Virginia city over the weekend, has sparked widespread condemnation from across the political spectrum. | Mr Trump’s extraordinary conference, in which he defended the far-right extremists who descended on the Virginia city over the weekend, has sparked widespread condemnation from across the political spectrum. |
| A former speechwriter to President Barack Obama is one of those who has taken aim at the president. Cody Keenan, who worked for Obama from 2007 and 2017, joked a bad presidential press conference used to simply mean wearing a tan suit. | A former speechwriter to President Barack Obama is one of those who has taken aim at the president. Cody Keenan, who worked for Obama from 2007 and 2017, joked a bad presidential press conference used to simply mean wearing a tan suit. |
| This is a reference to a White House press briefing delivered by Obama in 2014 in Mr Trump's predecessor was widely mocked for wearing a tan-coloured suit. Some joked it was not an appropriate colour to wear for delivering a statement on the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria and Russia’s intervention in Ukraine whereas others joked it looked like Obama was on holiday. | This is a reference to a White House press briefing delivered by Obama in 2014 in Mr Trump's predecessor was widely mocked for wearing a tan-coloured suit. Some joked it was not an appropriate colour to wear for delivering a statement on the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria and Russia’s intervention in Ukraine whereas others joked it looked like Obama was on holiday. |
| "Simpler times, when this was classified as a press conference disaster," Mr Keenan said. | "Simpler times, when this was classified as a press conference disaster," Mr Keenan said. |
| President Trump received a barrage of questions from reporters about why he did not immediately condemn the actions of the neo-Nazis, skinheads, and members of the Ku Klux Klan who assembled in Charlottesville for a white nationalist rally on Saturday and instead insisted the blame was on “many sides”. | President Trump received a barrage of questions from reporters about why he did not immediately condemn the actions of the neo-Nazis, skinheads, and members of the Ku Klux Klan who assembled in Charlottesville for a white nationalist rally on Saturday and instead insisted the blame was on “many sides”. |
| Although he read another statement approximately 48 hours after the violence in which he specifically said "racism is evil" and condemned “white Supremacists, KKK, neo-nazi and all extremist groups” he performed a drastic U-turn at yesterday’s conference and doubled down on his earlier comments. | Although he read another statement approximately 48 hours after the violence in which he specifically said "racism is evil" and condemned “white Supremacists, KKK, neo-nazi and all extremist groups” he performed a drastic U-turn at yesterday’s conference and doubled down on his earlier comments. |
| Addressing reporters, he said: “I’m not putting anybody on a moral plane. You had a group on one side and group on the other and they came at each other with clubs – there is another side, you can call them the left, that came violently attacking the other group. You had people that were very fine people on both sides. | Addressing reporters, he said: “I’m not putting anybody on a moral plane. You had a group on one side and group on the other and they came at each other with clubs – there is another side, you can call them the left, that came violently attacking the other group. You had people that were very fine people on both sides. |
| “Not all those people were neo-Nazis, not all those people were white supremacists. Many of those people were there to protest the taking down of the statue of Robert E Lee. So this week, it is Robert E Lee. I noticed that Stonewall Jackson is coming down. I wonder, is it George Washington next week? And is it Thomas Jefferson the week after? You know, you really do have to ask yourself, where does it stop?” | “Not all those people were neo-Nazis, not all those people were white supremacists. Many of those people were there to protest the taking down of the statue of Robert E Lee. So this week, it is Robert E Lee. I noticed that Stonewall Jackson is coming down. I wonder, is it George Washington next week? And is it Thomas Jefferson the week after? You know, you really do have to ask yourself, where does it stop?” |
| While repeatedly calling the gathered press "fake media”, he also asked reporters: “What about the alt-left that came charging at the - as you say, the alt-right? Do they have any semblance of guilt? What about the fact they came charging with clubs in their hands, swinging clubs? Do they have any problem? I think they do. As far as I am concerned, that was a horrible, horrible day.” | While repeatedly calling the gathered press "fake media”, he also asked reporters: “What about the alt-left that came charging at the - as you say, the alt-right? Do they have any semblance of guilt? What about the fact they came charging with clubs in their hands, swinging clubs? Do they have any problem? I think they do. As far as I am concerned, that was a horrible, horrible day.” |
| Angry clashes between far-right extremists and anti-fascists culminated in Heather Heyer being killed after a car ploughed into a crowd of anti-fascist protesters. Two policemen were also killed in a helicopter crash while trying to reinstate peace to the generally quiet university town. | Angry clashes between far-right extremists and anti-fascists culminated in Heather Heyer being killed after a car ploughed into a crowd of anti-fascist protesters. Two policemen were also killed in a helicopter crash while trying to reinstate peace to the generally quiet university town. |