WASHINGTON ― House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) on Monday responded forcefully to President Donald Trump’s defense of the white supremacist and neo-Nazi groups that precipitated this month’s violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, while still declining to denounce Trump directly.
During a town hall forum broadcast on CNN, Ryan said Trump “messed up in his comments” in a no-holds-barred news conference last week.
“I think he made comments that were much more morally ambiguous, much more confusing, and I do think he could have done better and needed to do better,” Ryan said, in response to an audience question asking whether he would denounce Trump. “I do believe he messed up in his comments on Tuesday.”
Moderator Jake Tapper pressed Ryan further, suggesting he should criticize Trump’s defense of violent protesters as “very fine people.”
“That was wrong,” Ryan said, adding that Trump “has since then cleared that up.”
Ryan declined to say whether Trump had done enough. “We all have a lot more to do to make sure these guys don’t get normalized,” he said.
Ryan released a lengthy statement Monday morning affirming that “there are no sides.” The comment alluded to Trump blaming “both sides” for Charlottesville violence incited by a rally organized by white supremacist groups.
Calling the events “a test of our moral clarity,” Ryan attempted to present a contrast to Trump’s equivocation on the groups.
“There is no other argument. We will not tolerate this hateful ideology in our society,” Ryan said.
“That is why we all need to make clear there is no moral relativism when it comes to neo-Nazis. We cannot allow the slightest ambiguity on such a fundamental question,” he continued.
House Speaker Paul Ryan, right, released a statement condemning white supremacists, but not calling out statements on the matter from President Donald Trump. (Photo: Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty Images)
According to Ryan, “the immediate condemnations from left, right, and center affirmed that there is no confusion about right and wrong here.”
Yet Trump took more than 48 hours to call out the white supremacist, Ku Klux Klan and neo-Nazi groups.
Politicians of both parties widely condemned Trump’s response to the violence in Charlottesville, with a growing number of GOP lawmakers questioning Trump’s leadership and character. However, Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) issued far more tempered statements that denounced the violence ― but didn’t refer to Trump directly.
Following Trump’s combative press conference Tuesday, in which he defended the protesters as “very fine people,” Ryan responded on Twitter, saying that “there can be no moral ambiguity.”
We must be clear. White supremacy is repulsive. This bigotry is counter to all this country stands for. There can be no moral ambiguity.
On Thursday, two days after Trump’s remarks, McConnell was reportedly “upset” about the president, but then issued a similarly standard statement, which made no mention of Trump.
America does not do a good job of tracking incidents of hate and bias. We need your help to create a database of such incidents across the country, so we all know what’s going on. Tell us your story.
This article has been updated to include Ryan’s comments Monday night.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) talks with Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) before the start of a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing concerning the roles and responsibilities for defending the nation against cyberattacks, on Oct. 19, 2017.
With Liberty And Justice...
Members of Code Pink for Peace protest before the start of a hearing where U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions will testify to the Senate Judiciary Committee in the Hart Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill on Oct. 18, 2017. Committee members questioned Sessions about conversations he had with President Donald Trump about the firing of former FBI Director James Comey, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy, the ongoing investigation about Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and other subjects.
Whispers
Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.), right, speaks with Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) before a confirmation hearing for Christopher Sharpley, nominee for inspector general of the CIA, on Oct. 17, 2017.
Not Throwing Away His Shot
Lin-Manuel Miranda, creator of the musical "Hamilton," makes his way to a meeting of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment and Related Agencies in the Rayburn Office Building during a round of meetings to urge federal funding for the arts and humanities on Sept. 13, 2017.
Medicare For All
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), center, speaks on health care as Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), left, and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), right, listen during an event to introduce the Medicare for All Act on Sept. 13, 2017.
Bernie Bros
Supporters of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) pack his office on Sept. 8, 2017. Members of the "Draft Bernie for a People's Party" campaign delivered a petition with more than 50,000 signatures to urge the senator to start and lead a new political party.
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A Narrow Win
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, center, speaks alongside Sens. John Barrasso, left, John Cornyn, right, and John Thune, rear, after the Senate narrowly passed the motion to proceed for the replacement of the Affordable Care Act on July 25, 2017.
Kushner Questioning
Jared Kushner, White House senior adviser and son-in-law to President Donald Trump, arrives at the Capitol on July 25, 2017. Kushner was interviewed by the House Intelligence Committee in a closed-door meeting about contacts he had with Russia.
Hot Dogs On The Hill
Rep. Frank Lucas (R-Okla.) prepares a hot dog during the American Meat Institute's annual Hot Dog Lunch in the Rayburn Office Building courtyard on July 19, 2017.
And Their Veggie Counterparts
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Poised For Questions
Callista Gingrich, wife of former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, waits for a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on her nomination to be the U.S. ambassador to the Vatican on July 18, 2017.
Speaking Up
Health care activists protest to stop the Republican health care bill at Hart Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill on July 17, 2017.
In The Fray
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) speaks to members of the media after announcing the revised version of the Senate Republican health care bill on Capitol Hill on July 13, 2017.
Anticipation
Christopher Wray is seated with his daughter Caroline, left, as he prepares to testify at a Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing on his nomination to be the next FBI director on July 12, 2017.
Up In Arms
Health care activists protest to stop the Republican health care bill at Russell Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill on July 10, 2017.
Across A Table
Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) meets with South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Capitol Hill on June 29, 2017.
Somber Day
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) speaks about the recent attack on the Republican congressional baseball team during her weekly press conference on Capitol Hill on June 15, 2017.
Family Matters
Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas), right, and his sons, Jack, 10, and Brad, arrive in the basement of the Capitol after a shooting at the Republican baseball practice in Alexandria, Virginia, on June 14, 2017.
A Bipartisan Pause
Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas), right, coach of the Republican congressional baseball team, tells the story of the shooting that occurred during a baseball practice while he stands alongside Rep. Mike Doyle (D-Pa.), left, a coach of the Democratic congressional baseball team on June 14, 2017.
Hats On
Rep. Chuck Fleischmann (R-Tenn.) reacts about the shooting he was present for at a Republican congressional baseball practice in Alexandria, Virginia, as he speaks with reporters at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on June 14, 2017.
Public Testimony
U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions is sworn in to testify before a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on Capitol Hill on June 13, 2017.
Comey's Big Day
Former FBI Director James Comey testifies before a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on Russia's alleged interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election on Capitol Hill on June 8, 2017.
Conveying His Point
U.S. Director of National Intelligence Daniel Coats testifies at a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on his interactions with the Trump White House and on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act on June 7, 2017.
Selfie Time
Vice President Mike Pence takes a selfie with a tourist wearing a "Make America Great Again" hat inside the U.S. Capitol rotunda on June 6, 2017. The vice president walked through the rotunda after attending the Senate Republican policy luncheon.
Budget Queries
Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney testifies before the House Budget Committee about President Donald Trump's fiscal 2018 budget proposal on Capitol Hill on May 24, 2017.
Flagged Down By Reporters
Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.), chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, leaves a closed committee meeting on Capitol Hill on May 24, 2017. The committee is investigating possible Russian interference in the U.S. presidential election.
Shock And Awe
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) hold a news conference on the release of the president's fiscal 2018 budget proposal on Capitol Hill on May 23, 2017.
Seeing Double
Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) arrives in the Capitol for the Senate Democrats' policy lunch on May 16, 2017.
Honoring Officers
President Donald Trump speaks at the National Peace Officers Memorial Service on the West Lawn of the Capitol on May 15, 2017.
Whispers
Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr (R-N.C.), right, and ranking member Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) talk during a hearing with the heads of the U.S. intelligence agencies in the Hart Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill on May 11, 2017.
Skeptical
Former acting Attorney General Sally Yates arrives to testify before a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election on Capitol Hill on May 8, 2017.
Differing Opinions
Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-Wis.) gives a thumbs-up to protesters on the East Front of the Capitol after the House passed the Republicans' bill to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act on May 4, 2017. The protesters support the ACA.
Real Talk
United States Naval Academy Midshipman 2nd Class Shiela Craine (left), a sexual assault survivor, testifies before the House Armed Services Committee's Subcommittee on Military Personnel with (2nd from left to right) Ariana Bullard, Stephanie Gross and Annie Kendzior in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill on May 2, 2017. Kendzior, a former midshipman, and Gross, a former cadet, were both raped twice during their time at the military academies. The academy superintendents were called to testify following the release of a survey last month by the Pentagon that said 12.2 percent of academy women and 1.7 percent of academy men reported experiencing unwanted sexual contact during the 2015-16 academic year.
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Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chair Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-N.M.), center, is joined by dozens of Democratic members of the House of Representatives to mark "Immigrant Rights Day" in the Capitol Visitor Center on May 1, 2017 in Washington, D.C. The Democratic legislators called on Republicans and President Donald Trump to join their push for comprehensive immigration reform.
Costco made buying a gold bar as simple as tossing it in a shopping cart. Adam Xi, 33 years old, called five different dealers to get a price he could accept for the gold bar he bought at Costco in October. Costco shoppers are spending as much as $200 million monthly on gold, according to a Wells Fargo estimate.
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If you are still holding to Nvidia stock, here is a key sell signal to watch for: Shares dipped below the 50-day moving average Friday. Nvidia's chart shows that its relative strength line, which compares the company's stock performance to the S&P 500, is flattening. Chief Executive Jensen Huang recently addressed students at his alma mater of Oregon State University and stated that "artificial intelligence is the technology industry's single greatest contribution to social elevation."
