Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney posted a lengthy statement on his Facebook page on Friday morning, the topic being President Donald Trump's statements on Saturday's violent white supremacist rally where counter-protester Heather Heyer was killed. While hesitating to examine why Trump said what he did, Romney condemned his words in detail.
“I will dispense for now from discussion of the moral character of the president's Charlottesville statements,” began Romney. “Whether he intended to or not, what he communicated caused racists to rejoice, minorities to weep, and the vast heart of America to mourn. ”
He added that “what we heard is now the reality, and unless it is addressed by the president as such, with unprecedented candor and strength, there may commence an unraveling of our national fabric.”
In addressing the widespread perception that President Trump's comments seemed to give aid to white supremacists, Romney counted the cost with the international community. “And who would want to come to the aid of a country they perceive as racist if ever the need were to arise, as it did after 9/11?” Romney wrote on Facebook.
Seeing that “the potential consequences are severe in the extreme,” Romney writes that “accordingly, the president must take remedial action in the extreme.”