‘Awful False Equivalence’: Twitter Rips Trump for Blaming ‘Many Sides’ for Violent Unrest

President Donald Trump addressed the civil unrest in Charlottesville, Virginia in reaction to a White Nationalist protest today from is own country club, Trump National, in Bedminster, New Jersey. During his speech, Trump condemned “in the strongest possible terms this egregious display of hatred, bigotry, and violence on many sides.” Then for effect, he add “on many sides.”

If you fee that the blaming of  “many sides” for violent events started by White Nationalist group seems an odd rhetorical turn, then you are not alone. Many on Twitter agree with you, some have been aggregated and published in this post for you to review.

by condemning hatred “on many sides,” the president of the United States just handed an immensely valuable gift to David Duke

— John Harwood (@JohnJHarwood) August 12, 2017

Note the President using the term “many sides.” Given the chance, he didn’t condemn these white supremacists and neo-Nazis by name. https://t.co/SiBDqGCwYv

— Jim Acosta (@Acosta) August 12, 2017

POTUS remarks have ended

Never mentioned the words terrorism, white supremacy or Nazis

“On many sides” will go down in history, I imagine

— Dianne Gallagher (@DianneG) August 12, 2017

What are these “many sides”? I see violent, racist, KKK, neo-Nazis and people who are not those things.

— Ben White (@morningmoneyben) August 12, 2017

Imagine if Eisenhower had said of the Little Rock Nine, “We condemn the bigotry and violence on many sides.” pic.twitter.com/HZJQZF6WEP

— Mark Joseph Stern (@mjs_DC) August 12, 2017

#Charlottesville latest:
– 1 dead
– 19 injured
– Trump condemns violence on “many sides”https://t.co/KLt2EJjlqh

— Justin Miller (@justinjm1) August 12, 2017

When terrorists abroad plow cars into crowds Trump condemns “radical Islam.” But when it happens here, he talks of violence “on many sides.”

— George Takei (@GeorgeTakei) August 12, 2017

Trump, Bannon, Gorka, Miller emboldened these Nazis. Encouraged them. And Trump’s “many sides” bullshit continues that. This is terrorism.

— jeremy scahill (@jeremyscahill) August 12, 2017

A President’s job is moral leadership. He has failed. There are NOT many sides to this.

— Brian Schatz (@brianschatz) August 12, 2017

“On many sides.” Well, at least he took off the white hood to say it.

— Mark Harris (@MarkHarrisNYC) August 12, 2017

This will be remembered as the “many sides” speech.

— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) August 12, 2017

‘Many sides” is the gold medal of dog whistles.

— Rick Wilson (@TheRickWilson) August 12, 2017

Car plows through anti-racism protest. Trump’s reax:
—Hatred is “on many sides.”
—Partly Obama’s fault.
—Great employment numbers right now.

— Andrew Kirell (@AndrewKirell) August 12, 2017

Trump, addressing Charlottesville, blames “many sides” for the “bigotry” — then pivots to law and order, and praises his own jobs numbers.

— Olivia Nuzzi (@Olivianuzzi) August 12, 2017

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