President Trump tweeted, "Thank you to the great people of The Villages" on Sunday morning in response to a video of protesters verbally clashing with Trump supporters — including one man who yelled "white power" while passing in a golf cart.
The latest: Trump appeared to have deleted the tweet around 11am ET Sunday, about three hours after posting it. White House spokesperson Judd Deere said in a statement: “President Trump is a big fan of The Villages. He did not hear the one statement made on the video. What he did see was tremendous enthusiasm from his many supporters.”
Why it matters: Trump has already been accused of inflaming racial tensions in the U.S. at a time of nationwide backlash over the killing of George Floyd. The White House did not respond when asked whether Trump condemned the supporter’s comment.
Details: The first clip in the montage shows protesters chanting "racist" at a white couple driving by in a golf cart bearing "Trump 2020" and "America First" signs. The man driving the cart gives a thumbs up and yells back, "White power!"
- Other clips in the video show protesters yelling "Nazi" and other accusations at the Trump supporters driving by.
- Trump quote-tweeted the video and wrote: "Thank you to the great people of The Villages. The Radical Left Do Nothing Democrats will Fall in the Fall. Corrupt Joe is shot. See you soon!!!"
Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect that Trump has deleted the retweet and the White House has provided comment.
