Coauthored by Center for Global Policy Staff
President Donald Trump has been widely criticized, and rightfully so, for being slow to call out and condemn the violence caused by white supremacist and neo-Nazi groups in Charlottesville, VA. Even after calling them out by name on Monday, Trump began backtracking and making excuses for these radicals, including efforts to whitewash the alt-right and other extremist groups on Tuesday. One cannot help but question his motives for doing so. The easy answer would be to say that the president harbors the same racist views. While no one knows what he truly believes, the likely explanation is that his actions are based on his calculated assessment of personal political benefit.
We must understand why the president took days to respond, and even then only after he was publically lambasted by many, including members of his own party. In his first post-riot press conference, he condemned “many sides” for the melee that took the life of Heather Heyer. The Charlottesville incident exacerbates the massive political problem that Trump has been facing. Since coming to office, his administration has scuttled along from crisis to crisis.
According to a recent Gallup Poll, Trump’s approval rating has hit a new record low at 34 percent. He cannot afford to alienate his base, which includes the alt-right and those who sympathize with this militant movement. Doing so would further jeopardize his approval rating. However, if he does not alter course he risks further damage to his presidency and more importantly the national interest. President Trump needs to demonstrate political courage and act decisively against the extremists within his base. This would help him shore up much needed support, not only within the Republican Party, but also from other centrist quarters.
The president is trapped in a major political conundrum, and most of the options before him entail a degree of risk that he is not ready to take. By avoiding decisive action against these radical elements, he risks losing the already fading support of the GOP, a relationship that has been precarious from the outset. His attacks on members of his own party, including Senators Mitch McConnell and John McCain, have certainly not helped in this regard. Trump desperately needs these key relationships if he is to have any success in delivering on his campaign promises. Without their support it will be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to govern let alone to accomplish any of his legislative initiatives.
Policy Implications
What does the schism between the alt-right and the diverse American mainstream mean for Trump’s domestic and foreign policy agenda?
The advent of the alt-right undermines Trump’s ability to craft policy in two main ways:
(1) The more he obfuscates and whitewashes their violence, as he did again at his press conference on Tuesday, the more it emboldens these extremist groups to think that they have a friend in the White House who will advance their cause. Trump’s soft-pedaling on racist violence has long been praised by bigots, winning him endorsements from white supremacists. Former Ku Klux Klan leader, David Duke, has praised Trump for his stance, tweeting earlier this week: “Thank you President Trump for your honesty and courage to tell the truth about Charlottesville and condemn the leftist terrorists in BLM/Antifa.”
(2) Trump’s continued efforts to whitewash these groups strengthens the white supremacist base and further polarizes Republicans, who will need to distance themselves from him ahead of the upcoming midterm elections. If Trump loses support from members of the GOP, he risks continued failure on the legislative front with regard to immigration, healthcare, trade, and tax reform, not to mention his ambitious infrastructure development plan, and his ongoing promise to build a wall along the US-Mexican border.
In essence, Trump not only runs the danger of losing key domestic policy initiatives, but if he mishandles the rise of the white supremacists then he is also endangering the well-being of the union. This is not merely an abstract fear. While not at the level of international jihadism, there has been an unmistakable surge in the growth of extremist groups nationwide. A report published by the Southern Poverty Law Center earlier this year suggested that over 900 new hate and/or extremist antigovernment groups have emerged in the past year alone. In addition, an August 14 Foreign Policy article cites a recent FBI and Homeland Security (DHS) bulletin that concluded white-supremacist groups were “responsible for 49 homicides and 26 attacks from 2000 to 2016 – more than any other domestic extremist movement.” The FBI and DHS report went on to state that, “racial minorities have been the primary victims of white supremacy violence.”
Trump can begin to course correct by removing his alt-right-supporting advisors, which is something the more respected members of his own administration seek. Consulting controversial advisors – specifically, Steve Bannon, Stephen Miller, and Sebastian Gorka – is polarizing both the GOP and the nation. The unfortunate reality is that Trump alone will not pay the price for misguided policies; they will adversely impact the country for decades to come. This is especially alarming when one considers the bigoted worldview of these individuals, and their racist ‘clash of civilizations’ ideology.
Lessons Learned from Charlottesville
Charlottesville has critical implications for all American minority groups, including Muslims:
Terrorism comes in many forms. It is not restricted to any one group, race, or religion. The world watched in shock as armed white supremacists marched through American streets waving swastikas and chanting Nazi slogans as they clashed with unarmed counter-protesters. Charlottesville may be the tipping point that engenders a more meaningful discussion among Americans about what constitutes terrorism and how it should be addressed. The horrific killing of Heather Hayer at the hands of a neo-Nazi certainly taught us that the terrorist label should not be synonymous with Muslims. White Americans are also being radicalized and drawn to committing violence against innocent civilians.
Indeed, over the last few days we have seen a critical mass of government officials, public figures, and politicians, even members of the Trump Administration, referring to the Charlottesville attacks as domestic terrorism. National Security Adviser Lt. Gen. H. R. McMaster declared: “Certainly I think we can confidently call [the Charlottesville attack] a form of terrorism.” Appearing on NBC’s Meet the Press, McMaster said, “What terrorism is, is the use of violence to incite terror and fear, and of course it was terrorism.” The major problem, as J.M. Berger, a Fellow with the International Centre for Counter-Terrorism points out, is that “there’s a de facto assumption that when a Muslim does it, it’s terrorism. And when a white guy does it, it’s mental illness or something else. Unsurprisingly, reality is more complicated than the categories we create for these things.”
When white supremacists commit acts of terror, the public does not automatically attribute their violence to all whites – a farcical stereotype and the very definition of bigotry. While most people understand that white supremacists belong to a fringe element that does not represent the views of all white Americans, when a Muslim commits a terrorist attack there is an automatic tendency to associate it with American Muslims, in general. This guilt-by-association attitude is reflected in the negative public perception of Islam and Muslims and hinders what should be a collective national effort – including American Muslims – to combat Islamist militants at home and abroad.
Just as there is an increasing trend in anti-Muslim rhetoric and violence, there is a simultaneous increase in reported violence against African-Americans and Jews, particularly since the presidential election. Herein lies another major lesson. Racism is a poison that does not discriminate. It will keep spreading until it runs its course (destroying the rule of law), or until it is properly treated. Simply put, if we are silent about racism against one group, then it is only a matter of time before another group is victimized. The only antidote is our unwavering and unified commitment to our constitutional values of liberty, diversity, and equality.
In his selective silence, Trump has clearly prioritized his own political well-being over that of the nation. The GOP’s resounding rejection of his initial statements on Charlottesville was a clear message that this is not a matter for political games, but rather one that supersedes factional politics and goes to the core of who we are as a nation. Whether we are fighting against Muslim or white supremacist terrorists (yes, they are both terrorists), our fight is one and the same. Standing together – Muslim and non-Muslim, Republican and Democrat, White and colored, LGBTQ and straight – we are a stronger, more formidable force.
We must all come together against acts of extremism. One can no longer be silent or selective in rejecting racism, fascism, and extremism of any kind. It is incumbent upon all Americans, from the president on down, to speak out and take action against those who preach hatred and violence. By choosing to be strategically silent in response to incidents of violent extremism the president bolsters those who commit these horrific acts. One could even say that his silence sanctifies such acts.
President Trump should be alarmed at what happened in Charlottesville. He must understand that his failure to reject racist rhetoric has long-term repercussions that erode the very fabric of our democracy. When it comes to our fundamental values as Americans, there is no room for compromise. President Trump needs to send a clear message that there is no exception to our constitutional edicts. We need to unite as Americans against all forms of extremism – whether it is Islamist, white supremacist, or anti-Semitic. Our strength as a nation will derive from our ability to stand undivided and, with one voice, to reject racism and violent extremism in all its forms.