President Donald Trump continued to divide the country with his campaign rally in Phoenix Tuesday night, and he should not have held the event so shortly after the violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, Mayor Greg Stanton said Wednesday.
"It's very unfortunate what occurred last night with regard to the president's speech," Stanton told MSNBCs' "Morning Joe" program, responding to the chaos that erupted when protesters and police clashed on the streets near the city's convention center. "I had strongly stated that it wasn't the right time for a campaign rally here in Phoenix so shortly after the tragedy in Charlottesville."
Trump, the Democratic mayor continued, "failed to show real moral leadership after that incident. His words tended to divide the country, not unite the country."
The president has talked openly about pardoning Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio "and all that Sheriff Joe had done to terrorize Latino residents here locally," Stanton said.
His speech "did nothing to unite this country and he did indicate he will be pardoning Sheriff Joe," the mayor said. "He decided not to do it at the event last night, but made it clear he was planning on doing it and that's a real tragedy for the people of Phoenix."
Trump also did not take the opportunity in Phoenix to say he was sorry for what had happened in connection the Charlottesville protests, Stanton said.
"He blew it for himself and the people of Charlottesville, the victims of the violence there, the young woman who was murdered there," Stanton said. "He really blew it."
Instead, Trump held a campaign-style rally rather than a call for the country to unite, said Stanton.
"He should have made it clear and unequivocal that he stands against any kind of hate groups or hate or white supremacy, and I think he failed to do that again last night in Phoenix," Stanton said.
The mayor also insisted there was a "very tiny number" of protesters who threw rocks and bottles and "maybe even gas canisters," and the police made the decision to disperse the crowd gathered outside the convention hall.
"We're going to be reviewing all of the facts and the video," said the mayor. "The job of the police is to get people home safe, not only the people there to express their First Amendment rights, but the police officers themselves and in that regard, we were successful last night."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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