Black Republicans Condemn the President

by

FILE - In a Nov. 16, 2016 file photo, Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., speaks to members of the media as he arrives for a closed-door Republican policy luncheon on Capitol Hill in Washington. Scott says Sunday, Aug. 20, 2017, that President Donald Trump can regain his moral authority on the issue of race by spending time with people who have lived through the nation’s difficult racial past. The South Carolina Republican said last week that Trump’s moral authority had become comprised after the president made comments that appeared to equate neo-Nazis and white supremacists with those who came out to oppose them in Charlottesville, Virginia. Scott says what’s important at this point is not what Trump says next, but what he does. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)
Reading Time: < 1 minute

Republican Sen. Tim Scott continued to condemn President Donald Trump’s defense of some protesters at a neo-Nazi rally in Charlottesville, Virginia last week.

In an interview on CBS’ Face The Nation on Sunday, Scott explained his argument that Trump’s response to Charlottesville “complicates his moral authority” to lead the nation by equating neo-Nazis with counter-protesters.

“It’s going to be very difficult for this president to lead if, in fact, that moral authority remains compromised,” Scott said “It would be fantastic if he sat down with a group of folks who have endured the pain of the ’60s, the humiliation of the ’50s and the ’60s,” Scott said. “This would be an opportunity for him to become better educated and acquainted with the living history of so many folks — from John Lewis to my mother and so many others who have gone through a very painful part of the history of this country — so that when he acts, when he responds, and when he speaks, he’s not reading the words that are so positive that he’s breathing the very air that brings him to a different conclusion.”

The South Carolina senator has repeatedly criticized Trump’s Charlottesville response. Scott said earlier this week that Trump’s bungled Charlottesville response could also weaken the GOP legislative drive in congress as Republicans hope to pass major tax reform and infrastructure bills and raise the debt ceiling.

advanced divider
advanced divider