At first blush, this Tweet may seem to be a condemnation of racism.
It isn’t.
It is this year’s version of last year’s there's blame on both sides. You could say it is merely a wink and nod to the neo-Nazi’s who protested in Charlottesville. Actually, it is worse.
The riots in Charlottesville a year ago resulted in senseless death and division. We must come together as a nation. I condemn all types of racism and acts of violence. Peace to ALL Americans!
Breaking it down
The riots in Charlottesville a year ago resulted in senseless death and division.
This sends the message that the death and division of Charlottesville didn’t make sense. It made perfect sense because it came as a direct result of the neo-Nazis spreading their hate.
We must come together as a nation.
This is a cliche on the face of it, but he knows that it is impossible for the white nationalists to come together (whatever that means) with those who find bigotry anathema to American democracy.
I condemn all types of racism and acts of violence.
The crucial word here is “all” because again is sending the message that there’s racism on all sides.
There would be no violence were it not for the neo-Nazis committing and threatening it. They foster an atmosphere where the anti-fascists (Antifa) and others feel they have to fight violence with violence. Like us, they see the mobilization of the neo-Nazis as a threat to American democracy. Unlike most of us (so far at least), they are willing to fight violence with violence. They see themselves as defenders of our multi-ethnic and diverse society against those who want to maintain a white Christain American and promote violence against those they see as “the other.”
Trump wants us to believe otherwise. He wants us to see Black Lives Matter athletes and others in the BLM movement as racists.
There is only one type of racism in the United States. That is the racism of whites against people of color, other ethnics backgrounds, and religions.
Peace to ALL Americans!
I don’t have to emphasize the crucial word here because Trump put “all” in caps. I see this as a not particularly subtle message to the neo-Nazis, the white supremacists, and the alt-right that he isn’t just saying he wants happy blue birds flying and apple pie warming on the window sill peace for one and all.
Rather he is saying “peace, brothers I am with you.” He is using the word “peace” the way those of us old enough to flash the peace sign and to use the term with each other, did during the antiwar and civil rights protests.
He’s giving these fascists, these bigots, these modern-day Nazis, a pat on the back.
It may be that Trump didn’t think this out. It may very well be that he knew he had to Tweet something and that his deeply ingrained racism inadvertently came out. It is also possible he didn’t write it.