De Blasio on Floyd protests: 'Blunt truth' is Trump has 'helped poison the atmosphere'
by Mike Brest
| May 30, 2020 03:04 PM
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio claimed President Trump has created a toxic atmosphere that has culminated in the protests engulfing major cities in the wake of George Floyd's death.
"I can tell you this, and this is the blunt truth, the president of the United States helped to create this atmosphere, and that's the tragedy here," he explained during a Saturday morning press conference. "It doesn't matter what your party affiliation is, doesn't matter what you think of President Trump, there's been an uptick in tension and hatred and division since he came along. It's just a fact."
"It's not the reason for any specific act, but it has helped to poison the atmosphere. So, we gotta get back to leaders talking about unity," de Blasio added.
Which question prompted de Blasio's comments remained unclear because the journalist who posed it could not be heard, though it seemed he was addressing a question about Trump's tweets.
Earlier in the day, Trump speculated on Twitter that "tonight, I understand, is MAGA NIGHT AT THE WHITE HOUSE???"
The president was asked about the tweet and if he was worried he could be "stoking more racial violence," but he downplayed any such allegation.
"No, not at all. MAGA says, 'Make America Great Again,' these are people that love our country. I have no idea if they're going to be here, I was just asking, but I have no idea if they're going to be here," Trump said. "By the way, they love African Americans, they love black people. MAGA loves the black people."
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/de-blasio-on-floyd-protests-blunt-truth-is-trump-has-helped-poison-the-atmosphere
