On the 51st anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising, the Democratic National Committee released a statement commemorating the occasion while President Trump took to Twitter with a tweet to applaud some his supporters yelling racist chants.
The DNC statement, released by DNC Chair Tom Perez and LGBTQ Caucus Chair Earl Fowlkes, detailed:
“51 years ago today, the LGBTQ+ community in New York City, led by transgender and lesbian women of color, fought back against harassment, persecution, and police brutality. Their activism at Stonewall and in the years to come rippled across America and the world — changing hearts, minds, culture, and law.”
The statement went on to condemn Trump for his blatant bigotry:
“Today, we recognize that despite hard-won achievements, the LGBTQ+ community continues to face unacceptable levels of discrimination, bigotry, and violence, particularly against transgender and gender non-conforming people of color. That bigotry has been exacerbated by Trump, who has moved to legalize discrimination in education, housing, work, military service, and health care.”
The full statement is up at the Democratic National Committee’s website.
Meanwhile, hours earlier, Donald Trump tweeted:
The tweet was deleted three hours after it was posted but by then the tweet was seen by a large number of people and played on CNN’s State of the Union with Jake Tapper.
“He should not have retweeted and he should just take it down… It is indefensible,” GOP Sen. Tim Scott reacts to the video President Trump shared of a man driving a golf cart with Trump campaign posters, chanting "white power." #CNNSOTU https://t.co/76wZzokkUw pic.twitter.com/4zk2rFndcP
— State of the Union (@CNNSotu) June 28, 2020
Also, as anyone knows about the internet, nothing is ever deleted. A Twitter user named taymarie_20 took a screen recording of the tweet complete with the video that Trump retweeted.
Good morning. Trump deleted the tweet but I screenrecorded it so enjoy the PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES applauding people screaming White Power. Despicable. pic.twitter.com/7xPkW3HrD2
— tay (@_tdesk) June 28, 2020
White House Deputy Press Secretary Judd Deere stated, according to CNN, Trump “did not hear the one statement made on the video. What he did see was tremendous enthusiasm from his many supporters.”
Perez released a statement in response to Trump’s tweet:
“Once again, Donald Trump’s actions are simply indefensible. As our country faces a reckoning since the murders of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and so many others, we are seeking ways to address systemic racism and injustice. But Trump is tweeting a video promoting ‘white power.’ This president tries to claim ignorance, but the consistency of his actions – on Charlottesville and most recently Lafayette Square – drown out his vacuous words. We need a president who will heal our nation’s wounds and unite the American people, not a demagogue who tries to divide us through fear and bigotry.”
Sources: Democratic National Committee, Twitter, CNN
