Ivanka Trump denounced the deadly violence in Charlottesville, Virginia — hours after chaos took over the streets during a white supremacist rally.
The First Daughter took to Twitter early Sunday morning to address the contentious series of events that unfolded over the weekend in Virginia starting on Friday, when a group of hundreds of white nationalists and neo-Nazis walked onto the University of Virginia’s campus with torches.
“There should be no place in society for racism, white supremacy and neo-nazis,” Trump tweeted. “We must all come together as Americans — and be one country UNITED.”
1:2 There should be no place in society for racism, white supremacy and neo-nazis.
— Ivanka Trump (@IvankaTrump) August 13, 2017
2:2 We must all come together as Americans — and be one country UNITED. #Charlottesville
— Ivanka Trump (@IvankaTrump) August 13, 2017
The unrest continued on Saturday, when hundreds of white supremacists descended on Charlottesville, protesting against the planned removal of a Confederate statute. The rally turned deadly when a car rammed into a group of counter-protesters, killing at least one and injuring 19 others, according to the Associated Press.
Graphic video shows the moment the car plows into the crowd, sending people flying into the air and causing pandemonium on the street.
Police have identified 20-year-old James Alex Fields Jr. as the driver, and arrested him Saturday evening. He is currently facing numerous charges including second-degree murder.
The days-long violence has been condemned by both sides of the aisle, and some have been critical of President Trump’s response.
At a press conference Saturday evening, the president said he condemned “in the strongest possible terms this display of hatred, bigotry and violence on many sides.” But some, including a growing group of Republican and Democratic senators, have implored the president to specifically denounce white supremacists.
“Very important for the nation to hear @potus describe events in #Charlottesville for what they are, a terror attack by #whitesupremacists,” Florida Sen. Marco Rubio tweeted.
Prior to the deadly violence at Saturday’s rally, former KKK Leader David Duke mentioned his thoughts on how President Trump’s agenda had inspired the march.
“We are determined to take our country back,” Duke said from the rally, according to Vox. “We are going to fulfill the promises of Donald Trump. That’s what we believed in. That’s why we voted for Donald Trump, because he said he’s going to take our country back.”
