SEN. HARRY REID (D-NV): Healing the wounds he inflicted will take more than words. Talk is cheap, and tweets are cheaper. Healing wounds is going to take action. But so far, Mr. President, rather than healing these wounds, Trump's actions have deepened them. In one of his very first if not his first official act, he appointed a man seen as a champion of white supremacy as a number one strategist in the White House. Number one. Everybody else under him. According to CNN, and I quote, “white nationalist leaders are praising Donald Trump's decision to name Stephen Bannon as his chief strategist,” close quote. In the same article white nationalist leaders say they see Bannon, quote, “as an advocate for policies they favor,” close quote.
And according to the Poverty Law Center, Bannon, quote, “was a main driver between Breitbart becoming a white ethno-nationalist propaganda mill,” close quote. When asked to comment on Bannon's hiring, KKK leader David Duke told CNN, again a quote, “I think that's excellent,” close quote. A court filing stated that Bannon said, again another quote, “that he doesn't like Jews, and that he doesn't like the way they raise their kids to be whiny brats, and that he didn't want his girls to go to school with Jews,” close quote. That's court document.
By placing a champion of white supremacists a step away from the Oval Office, what message does Trump send to the young girl who woke up Wednesday morning in Rhode Island afraid to be a woman of color in America? It's not a message of healing. If Trump is serious about seeking unity, the first thing he should do is rescind his appointment of Steve Bannon. Rescind it. Don't do it. Think about this. Don't do it. As long as a champion of racial division is a step away from the Oval Office, it will be impossible to take Trump's efforts to heal the nation seriously. So I say to Donald Trump, take responsibility. Rise to the dignity of the office of President of the United States, stop hiding behind your Twitter account, and show America that racism, bullying, and bigotry have no place in the White House, or in America.
