Despite President Trump condemning white supremacist hate groups by name on Monday for the violence in Charlottesville, on Tuesday, the network morning shows lined up to blame the President for the rise of such groups and having “emboldened” them with his 2016 campaign.
On NBC’s Today, co-host Matt Lauer worried: “...what are people who look into these types of groups saying about their strength right now? Are they growing? Are there more of them? Are more people following them, either in the streets or online?” The headline on screen blared: “Feds Tracking Rise of Hate Groups?; Concerns Grow as DOJ Opens Charlottesville Probe.”
Justice Correspondent Pete Williams responded to Lauer’s query:
Not so much a growth in the number of groups, but yes in the number of followers. And they say there are two factors at work here. Something of a surge in hate group numbers in response to the nationwide efforts to remove or rename the symbols of the Confederacy....And the second thing civil rights advocates say, is that these groups feel emboldened by some of Donald Trump’s campaign rhetoric to sort of come out of the shadows, believing that their message is no longer taboo.
On ABC’s Good Morning America, correspondent Tom Llamas declared:
ABC News has been following [Richard] Spencer and other white nationalist leaders like Matt Heimbach for the last six months....Heimbach and Spencer part of the growing so-called alt-right movement. White nationalists who think white identity is under attack. Both credit President Trump’s anti-immigration, America First policies with their rise into the mainstream.
A soundbite followed of Heimbach referring to Trump and claiming: “He’s opened up a door, his movement has opened up a door, but it’s up to us to take the initiative.”
During a report on CBS This Morning hyping protests outside Trump Tower, correspondent Margaret Brennan touted ranting from one of the left-wing demonstrators: “The controversy followed President Trump back to his Manhattan home, where he was met by protesters like Elissa Kraus.” Kraus accused the President of being complicit in the violence: “What happened in Charlottesville was done with Trump’s endorsement, with his permission, and he could barely criticize it.”
On Monday, the network evening newscasts were uniform in their denunciation of Trump as they argued his condemnation of the Charlottesville attack was “too little, too late.”
The biased coverage across all three networks was brought to viewers by PetSmart, Turkey Hill, and Chevy.
Here are excerpts of the August 15 coverage on NBC, ABC, and CBS:
Today
7:08 AM ET(...)
MATT LAUER: And Pete, let me ask you, what happened in Charlottesville’s going to generate a lot of outrage and discussion, and it should. But take us behind the headlines, what are people who look into these types of groups saying about their strength right now? Are they growing? Are there more of them? Are more people following them, either in the streets or online? What can you tell us?
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Feds Tracking Rise of Hate Groups?; Concerns Grow as DOJ Opens Charlottesville Probe]
PETE WILLIAMS: Not so much a growth in the number of groups, but yes in the number of followers. And they say there are two factors at work here. Something of a surge in hate group numbers in response to the nationwide efforts to remove or rename the symbols of the Confederacy. As you’ve noted, many cities have done this after the pictures surfaced of Dylan Roof with the Confederate flag after he killed nine people at that church in South Carolina.
And the second thing civil rights advocates say, is that these groups feel emboldened by some of Donald Trump’s campaign rhetoric to sort of come out of the shadows, believing that their message is no longer taboo.
(...)
WILLIAMS: But threats or actual plots are a different matter. And last year, more than half the domestic terror attacks in the U.S. were caused by race-based hate groups. Minority groups and police were most often the targets.
(...)
Good Morning America
7:11 AM ET(...)
TOM LLAMAS: ABC News has been following [Richard] Spencer and other white nationalist leaders like Matt Heimbach for the last six months.
MATT HEIMBACH: The nationalist community came to Charlottesville to defend our heritage.
LLAMAS: Our team was right there in Charlottesville with Heimbach at the rally that turned deadly. Heimbach and Spencer part of the growing so-called alt-right movement. White nationalists who think white identity is under attack. Both credit President Trump’s anti-immigration, America first policies with their rise into the mainstream.
HEIMBACH: He’s opened up a door, his movement has opened up a door, but it’s up to us to take the initiative.
(...)
CBS This Morning
7:06 AM ET(...)
PROTESTERS: No Trump! No KKK! No fascist USA!
MARGARET BRENNAN: The controversy followed President Trump back to his Manhattan home, where he was met by protesters like Elissa Kraus.
ELISSA KRAUS: What happened in Charlottesville was done with Trump’s endorsement, with his permission, and he could barely criticize it.
(...)
