Donald Trump recently drew fire for his assessment of the 2017 rally in Charlottesville, Virginia during a discussion on other recent events. The former president noted the neo-Nazi demonstration, which turned deadly, as smaller in scale compared to protests occurring on college campuses today in support of Palestinian rights.
However, one of Trump’s former advisors strongly disagreed with this characterization. Jim Schultz, who served as associate White House counsel at the time of the Virginia rally, stated that mentioning Charlottesville at all was a major political blunder.
In his view, the backlash Trump experienced for his initial statements on the white supremacist clash makes revisiting it now an unwise decision. He pointed out to reporters the significant criticism the remarks received years ago.
When asked about Trump’s current view, Schultz asserted it was a significant miscalculation to reference Charlottesville and minimize the racism displayed. The rally in the southeastern state saw violent confrontations that resulted in one fatality and many injuries.
The comments have attracted condemnation, including from the current administration. A White House spokesperson criticized downplaying the “anti-Semitic and white supremacist poison” on show in Virginia.
So while Trump wanted to compare the events, his past attorney believes retroactively bringing up such a sensitive topic will only undermine his public image. The advisor called it a “big mistake” and predicted it would frustrate campaign efforts.
