Trump Re-Fights the Battle of Charlottesville

Jonathan Chait: “When a combination of Confederate nostalgists and outright white supremacists rallied in Charlottesville in 2017 to maintain a statue of Robert E. Lee, President Trump embraced their cause. His statement, which contained a shocking defense of Nazis, was so disgraceful that several members of his administration could not hide their humiliation.”

“And yet Trump has oddly decided to revisit the theme. He is not invoking the “very fine people on both sides,” but he is emphasizing his original defense of Confederate memorials. Trump is not only denouncing protesters who are pulling down various statues — some of them honoring anti-slavery icons — his supporters are claiming that he was right all along to defend the Lee statue.”