Trump condemns bigotry and white supremacy [UPDATED WITH VIDEO]

This morning, President Trump delivered a televised address regarding the two mass shootings that were carried out over the weekend. You can watch it below.

The Washington Post provides this account:

“In one voice, our nation must condemn racism, bigotry and white supremacy,” Trump said. “Hatred warps the mind, ravages the heart and devours the soul.”. . .

Trump condemned the “two evil attacks” and vowed to act “with urgent resolve.”

He outlined a number of possible steps, including so-called “red-flag laws,” that focus on better identifying mentally ill people who should not be allowed to purchase firearms.

“Mental illness and hatred pull the trigger. Not the gun,” said Trump, who did not take questions from reporters.

He also called for cultural changes, including stopping the “the glorification of violence in our society” in video games and elsewhere.

Trump was wise not to take questions from reporters. This was no time for sparring with leftist media members who, undoubtedly, would have tried to suggest that he somehow bears responsibility for the El Paso massacre.

The big question in my mind is whether Trump will backslide from what he said today. It’s not that Trump doesn’t genuinely believe his words. The problem, I think, is that he hates being told what he should to say, even when he agrees with the content, and resents it when media members try to get him to repeat or expand on what he has already said.

We have seen this dynamic play out before, most notably in the case of Charlottesville. The president will make a blanket statement of condemnation or disavowal, but then muddy the waters with subsequent comments.

Trump-hating media members (i.e. most mainstream media reporters) understand this dynamic. Look for them to try to exploit it.

If they succeed, it won’t be the mainstream media’s fault. If Trump backslides in his public utterances, or gets baited into saying who is and who is not a white supremacist, it will be his fault.

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