Nikki Haley has an interesting response to people blaming Trump for the Pittsburgh shooting
Much of the conversation surrounding Saturday's deadly shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue has examined the question of whether and how President Trump's rhetoric encourages extremism. Outgoing U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley thinks that's not fair.
In a Monday night tweet, she argued that just as then-President Barack Obama was not blamed for a white supremacist's murderous attack on a black church in Charleston, South Carolina, in 2015, so Trump should not be linked to what happened in Pittsburgh:
Trump himself made a similar claim Monday about Cesar Sayoc, the man accused of mailing pipe bombs to prominent Democratic and media figures last week. Sayoc is an avid Trump supporter — his van is plastered with pro-Trump stickers — but Trump believes reporting that fact is unfair.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"I was in the headline of The Washington Post, my name associated with this crazy bomber," he said. "They didn't do that with President Obama with the church, the horrible situation with the church — they didn't do that."
Three things here: First, Obama wasn't linked to the shooting in Charleston in this manner because the racist shooter was not a devoted supporter of the country's first black president. Second, Obama was criticized by some on the right for allegedly exacerbating race relations with his response to Charleston. And third, Haley herself, then governor of South Carolina, laid blame for Charleston on Trump's rhetoric. "I know what that rhetoric can do," she said. "I saw it happen."
-
Did Alex Pretti’s killing open a GOP rift on guns?Talking Points Second Amendment groups push back on the White House narrative
-
The 8 best hospital dramas of all timethe week recommends From wartime period pieces to of-the-moment procedurals, audiences never tire of watching doctors and nurses do their lifesaving thing
-
‘Implementing strengthened provisions help advance aviation safety’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Fed holds rates steady, bucking Trump pressureSpeed Read The Federal Reserve voted to keep its benchmark interest rate unchanged
-
Judge slams ICE violations amid growing backlashSpeed Read ‘ICE is not a law unto itself,’ said a federal judge after the agency violated at least 96 court orders
-
Rep. Ilhan Omar attacked with unknown liquidSpeed Read This ‘small agitator isn’t going to intimidate me from doing my work’
-
Democrats pledge Noem impeachment if not firedSpeed Read Trump is publicly defending the Homeland Security secretary
-
The billionaires’ wealth tax: a catastrophe for California?Talking Point Peter Thiel and Larry Page preparing to change state residency
-
Hegseth moves to demote Sen. Kelly over videospeed read Retired Navy fighter pilot Mark Kelly appeared in a video reminding military service members that they can ‘refuse illegal orders’
-
Trump says US ‘in charge’ of Venezuela after Maduro grabSpeed Read The American president claims the US will ‘run’ Venezuela for an unspecified amount of time, contradicting a statement from Secretary of State Marco Rubio
-
Bari Weiss’ ‘60 Minutes’ scandal is about more than one reportIN THE SPOTLIGHT By blocking an approved segment on a controversial prison holding US deportees in El Salvador, the editor-in-chief of CBS News has become the main story
