Prior to the violence that took place between white supremacists and anti-fascists Saturday in Charlottesville, former KKK leader David Duke kicked off the "Unite the Right" rally by pledging to fulfill the nationalist promises heralded by Donald Trump. You can watch a clip above.
However during the president's press conference, he wore his cowardice on his sleeve and broadly condemned bigotry "on many sides." Duke, who normally considers himself a Trump supporter, then released a series of tweets noting the hypocrisy of Trump's comments. He addressed the duplicitous nature of alienating the very individuals who got Trump into the White House in the first place.
In #Charlottesville brave young patriots came peacefully to show that you will not replace us, our history or our statues. #UniteTheRight
Even though Trump single handedly normalized the white nationalist movement, Duke didn't feel as though he was doing enough to show his support for the extremists.
I wasn't planning on attend this rally, but I felt it was important to support of this movement of young White Americans. #UniteTheRight
During Trump's presidential campaign, Duke publicly endorsed him. The president only disavowed Duke and the KKK in general after weeks of refusing to do so. As tragic as the incidents in Charlottesville are, when a president is elected with the shameful endorsement of a infamous white supremacist organization, are you really that surprised?
