An early supporter of President Donald Trump, U.S. Rep. Tom Reed, R-Corning, said the president “messed up in his (initial) response” to the violence in Charlottesville, Va. on Aug. 12.
In a telephone press conference with reporters Tuesday morning, Reed, said, “I do respect him for calling out the KKK for what they are” in that initial response. He said he was “not going to defend the (president’s) response and the form of the response.” He said it was not timely.
Reed said the president “did issue the condemnation, which I supported,” during Monday’s speech to the nation on Afghanistan. “I’m glad he did it. It’s that word that means something to me.”
Trump’s initial response was that both sides shared blame for the violence and that there were good people on both sides.
That prompted former KKK official David Duke to publicly thank Trump for his support of the Charlottesville protesters.
“I believe in the vision of Martin Luther King in America when it comes to race relations,” Reed said. “The color of a person’s skin” should not matter.
For those challenging Reed for not denouncing racism enough, the congressman said, “They are adamantly wrong.” He added: “We immediately announced our opposition” to any kind of violence and hateful speech.
Trump’s lukewarm condemnation of the KKK, Nazi supporters and other white supremacist groups also resulted in the resignation of several members of his Manufacturing Council, which the president quickly disbanded.
That also concerns Reed, who supports several manufacturing initiatives.
“I admit it’s a disappointment,” Reed told reporters. “Making manufacturing one of our top priorities is something I am enthusiastic about. My hope is that this will be reinstituted in the future. It’s all about advising and promoting American manufacturing. The future of America, in my opinion, is heavily dependent on manufacturing.”
Reed said he plans to make his views on manufacturing known to the president when he returns to Washington D.C. in September.
REACTING TO the president’s Monday address to the nation on increasing troop strength in Afghanistan by 4,000 troops and setting out a new policy not based on deadlines, Reed said it was important to have a clear policy not only in Afghanistan, but in Pakistan and India as well.
Reed called the president’s Afghanistan policy “wise, and one that could lead to a different outcome than the quagmire we’ve had over the past 16 years.”
The congressman said the White House called him last night prior to the president’s speech.
“It’s been a long-term engagement of our military men and women,” Reed said. “They and their families are the ones who are sacrificing. Their sacrifice will never be forgotten by me.”
He added the U.S. can’t simply turn its back on Afghanistan “because it seems unsolvable.”
(Contact reporter Rick Miller at rmiller@oleantimesherald.com. Follow him on Twitter, @RMillerOTH)
