Trump accused of ‘emboldening white supremacists’

The New Zealand mosque massacre has triggered furious debate in the US about the threat posed by white nationalism.

President Donald Trump in the Oval Office last week. Picture: AP

The New Zealand mosque massacre has triggered furious debate in the US about the threat posed by white nationalism, with Democrats accusing Donald Trump of downplaying the issue and ‘‘emboldening white supremacists’’.

The rampage by Australian-born Brenton Tarrant that left 50 people dead dominated the front pages of US newspapers, with some reports accusing Australia of providing fertile ground for an ­Islamophobic culture.

The mass murder led police across the US to step up security in mosques. New York mosques were guarded by police armed with semi-automatic rifles.

The US President told Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern that the US was with New Zealand ‘‘100 per cent’’. He described the massacre as ‘‘a horrible disgraceful thing’’.

“I told the Prime Minister the United States is with them all the way, 100 per cent,” Mr Trump said. “Whatever they need, we will be there. New Zealand has been a great friend and partner for many years. Our relationship has never been better. What they’re going through is absolutely terrible.”

When asked whether he saw white nationalism as a rising threat around the world, he said: “I don’t really. I think it’s a very small group of people that have very, very serious ­problems.”

His comments were criticised by Democrat presidential contender Kirsten Gillibrand, who ­accused Mr Trump of emboldening white supremacists. “Time and time again, this President has embraced and emboldened white supremacists — and instead of condemning racist terrorists, he covers for them,” she tweeted.

“This isn’t normal or acceptable. We have to be better than this.”

Democrat senator Richard Blumenthal also linked Mr Trump’s rhetoric to the New Zealand massacre: “Words have consequences like saying we have an invasion on our border and talking about people as though they were different in some fatal way.”

Mr Trump has previously been criticised after he appeared to defend white-nationalists at the “Unite the Right” rally that sparked violence in Charlottesville in 2017, where one person died.

Mr Trump said he condemned the white nationalists but added there were ‘‘very fine people, on both sides’’ of the protest groups.

Mr Trump’s political opponents have long accused him of targeting Muslims with his call in December 2015 to ban all Muslims from entering the US.

Tarrant wrote that he asked himself the question: “Were/are you a supporter of Donald Trump?” His answer: “As a symbol of renewed white identity and common purpose? Sure. As a policy maker and leader? Dear god no.’’

Republicans pushed back against the Democrat accusations. Congressman Adam Kinzinger said: “I’m not defending all of the President’s language on this stuff. What I’m saying though, if you look at the Holocaust where six million Jews were killed … that was way before President Trump.”

The White House denounced any link between the President’s rhetoric and the mosque killing. “It’s outrageous to even make that connection between this deranged individual to the President who has repeatedly condemned bigotry, racism and made it very clear this is a terrorist attack,” spokeswoman Mercedes Schlapp said.

Cameron Stewart is also US contributor for Sky News Australia