Demos Statement in Response to Trump’s Phoenix Rally

New York, NY – Today, in response to Donald Trump’s visit to Phoenix, Arizona, Demos Vice President of External Affairs Tori O'Neal-McElrath released the following statement:

“At Donald Trump’s disastrous rally in Phoenix tonight, we saw more of the same bigoted, hateful rhetoric from President Trump that continues to tear our nation apart. With every speech, and every action, we see more of who Donald Trump truly is: our divider-in-chief.

“After failing to show leadership in the wake of the violence in Charlottesville, Donald Trump has repeatedly doubled down, fueling racial violence and division and pandering to hate. Tonight he went even further, defending his own failed responses to white supremacy, and claiming that ‘they're trying to take away our history and our heritage.’

“For Trump to spend time during the rally hinting at pardoning the actions of yet another white supremacist – Sheriff Joe Arpaio – shows complete disregard for the many people across our country who are taking a stand against hate and division, and moving toward racial healing. The people of this country can be united as one, but to do so we must stop praising the actions of individuals like Arpaio, who intentionally seek to divide us.

United as a multiracial, multicultural demos—one people—we can be better than what we heard from Trump tonight. We must continue coming together and proudly resisting the forces attempting to tear us apart.”

###