All five living former presidents have now weighed in on the deadly incident in Charlottesville, Virginia, on Saturday (Aug. 12) spurred by a “Unite the Right” rally organized by white nationalist, neo-Nazis, the KKK and other hate groups.
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In a joint statement released on Wednesday (Aug. 16), former Republican presidents George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush condemned the hateful rhetoric that resulted in a violent face-off between the white separatist groups and counter-protesters and leading to the death of Heather Heyer, 32, and injuries to more than three dozen others.
“America must always reject racial bigotry, anti-Semitism and hatred in all forms,” the father and son said in their statement according to USA Today. “As we pray for Charlottesville, we are reminded of the fundamental truths recorded by that city’s most prominent citizen in the Declaration of Independence: We are all created equal and endowed by our Creator with unalienable rights. We know these truths to be everlasting, because we have seen the decency and greatness of our country.”
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While the Bush family did not name the hate groups or call out President Trump by name, their statement came less than a day after Trump shocked the nation anew at a fiery press conference at Trump Tower in New York in which he doubled down on his controversial claim that “both sides” were to blame for the violence in Charlottesville, specifically calling out the heretofore unknown “alt-left.”
The fallout from the president’s comments — in which he claimed that there were “very fine people on both sides” — has included strongly worded rebukes from an increasingly lengthy list of prominent Republicans and Democrats.
The clashes in Charlottesville have also drawn comment from a wide swath of artists, and the other three living former presidents: Democrats Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama. In fact, Obama’s tweet of a quote from former South African president Nelson Mandela quickly became the most-liked tweet of all time, surpassing Ariana Grande’s response to the terror attack on her Manchester concert.
“No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin or his background or his religion…” pic.twitter.com/InZ58zkoAm
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) August 13, 2017
On Monday (Aug. 14), the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library posted a message by late president John F. Kenney about terrorism on Facebook that read: “Terror is not a new weapon. Throughout history it has been used by those who could not prevail, either by persuasion or example. But inevitably they fail, either because men are not afraid to die for a life worth living or because the terrorists themselves came to realize that free men cannot be frightened by threats.”
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Clinton tweeted a message on Monday that made his feelings bout white supremacists crystal clear.
Even as we protect free speech and assembly, we must condemn hatred, violence and white supremacy. #Charlottesville
— Bill Clinton (@billclinton) August 12, 2017