Don Jr. defends Chelsea Clinton against 'sickening' Islamophobia accusation
Donald Trump Jr. defended Chelsea Clinton against accusations she helped to spark the New Zealand mosque massacres by spreading anti-Muslim sentiment.
On Friday, tensions boiled over when Clinton was accosted by a New York University student who attempted to publicly shame her for “all the Islamophobia that you have stoked.” According to The New York Post, Clinton was attending a vigil on the campus for the 49 people killed in the attacks earlier that day.
Footage of the incident surfaced on Twitter, showing the interaction in which she can be seen calmly addressing the student.
“I’m so sorry,” she said. “Certainly it was never my intention. I do believe words matter.”
Still, the student persisted in dressing down Clinton, claiming the shootings were “stoked by people like you.”
While it’s unclear which statements the student was referring, the exchange subsequently prompted a series of reactions on Twitter, including one from Trump Jr. who called it “sickening.”
The president’s son said people were blaming Clinton because of her decision to condemn anti-Semitism last month following Rep. Ilhan Omar’s (D-Minn.) remarks on Israel’s treatment of Palestinians and America’s financial relationship with the nation.
“Chelsea should be praised for speaking up, Trump wrote. “Anyone who doesn’t understand this is part of the problem.”
It’s sickening to see people blame @ChelseaClinton for the NZ attacks because she spoke out against anti-Semitism. We should all be condemning anti-Semitism & all forms of hate. Chelsea should be praised for speaking up. Anyone who doesn’t understand this is part of the problem.
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) March 16, 2019
However, Trump Jr. isn’t the only one backing Clinton. She’s also received support from the Democratic National Committee’s Donna Brazile:
https://t.co/OHbPnTiYBr@ChelseaClinton is a woman of valor and grace. I love her civility and respect during a confrontation with a few angry souls.
— Donna Brazile (@donnabrazile) March 16, 2019
Meanwhile, the president failed on Friday ― as he has in the past in the wake of killings motivated by hate ― to denounce white supremacist violence after it was learned that the alleged gunman appears to have written a manifesto declaring his hated for Muslim immigrants.
Instead, he contended that he didn’t see white nationalism as much of an issue, speculating that the issue lies within “a small group of people that have very, very serious problems, I guess.”