Mayor of Phoenix to Donald Trump: cancel your rally
In the wake of the Nazi and white supremacist domestic terrorist attack in Charlottesville, the leaders of various cities have told these groups they’re not welcome. But now, after Donald Trump’s shockingly poor response in which he sided with the white supremacists, one major city is now telling Trump himself not to bother coming.
Trump made the bizarre announcement that he’ll be holding a campaign rally in Phoenix, Arizona next week. Trump’s presidency is in pieces, and it’s not even clear if he’ll be able to remain in office much longer, so it makes little sense for him to be holding a self congratulatory pep rally. But the larger concern is that, in the wake of this weekend’s violence on the part of Trump’s white supremacist supporters, and his subsequent endorsement of them, they could be emboldened to bring their violence to his Phoenix rally.
And so Greg Stanton, the Mayor of Phoenix, is asking Donald Trump to indefinitely “postpone” his planned rally in the city, according to Politico (link). The Mayor is specifically pointing to the Charlottesville attack, and Trump’s own inadequate response to the attack, as his reasons. He’s also pointing out that he can’t stop Trump from holding the event, but that he’s hoping that “sound judgment prevails.” This is nothing short of a remarkable development.
This means we’ve now reached the point where A) the leader of a major U.S. city is essentially telling the so-called “President of the United States” that he’s so much of a disgrace his presence is not wanted, and B) Donald Trump has become such an eager lightning rod for violence that his own political events now have to be viewed as de facto Nazi and KKK rallies where no one nearby is safe. Trump will most likely respond by launching personal attacks at the mayor on Twitter, while deciding whether to postpone and/or relocate the event.
