RACISM/SUPPORTERS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump, in his first rally after the violent white supremacist protest in Charlottesville, Va., earlier this month, attacked the news media and his fellow Republicans who were critical of his response to the protest.
In an address of more than an hour, Mr. Trump accused the news media of ‘fomenting divisions’ and attacked his GOP colleagues for failure to repeal the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. He also urged supporters to press lawmakers on the overhaul of the tax code…
At the rally, Mr. Trump issued a forceful condemnation of ‘the thugs’ who perpetrate hatred and violence…
The rally was the latest example of the White House’s struggle to control its narrative. The White House on Tuesday had sought to highlight the Department of Homeland Security’s immigration enforcement policy with the president’s tour of a border protection facility in Yuma, Ariz
He also threatened to shut down the government to secure funding for a wall on the southwest border.
Ahead of the rally, protesters denounced the president as supporters queued to enter the arena in downtown Phoenix, where a heavy police presence reflected local officials’ concern about the chance of violence. Supporters of the president chanted ‘Build that wall’ in the direction of a Trump critic waving an American flag, who shook his finger and repeatedly responded, ‘With your tax money.’ “
-Rebecca Ballhaus, Ted Mann, and Ian Lovett, “Trump Tries to Recharge His Base in Arizona Rally,” The Wall Street Journal online, Aug. 23, 2017 01:28am