Fox News host Eboni K. Williams slams Trump for reaping ‘benefits of racism’

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Eboni K. Williams, co-host of The Fox News Specialists, had strong words for the President of the United States in the wake of the violence this weekend in Charlottesville, Virginia.

During her segment, Williams called Donald Trump out for his initial tepid response to the situation in which he condemned anger and hatred on “many sides.” Williams said that his failure to immediately call out white supremacy was “cowardly and dangerous.”

“I was willing to give you the benefit of the doubt,” Williams said on the show. “I can no longer do that, Mr. President. No more benefit ― all doubt.”

“In a moment where you could have been crystal clear where you stand on the issue of inclusion, standing up against white supremacy and domestic terrorism, you very intentionally chose to be ambiguous and equivocate.”

Trump has faced criticism from both sides of the political aisle because of his initially tepid response to the violence in Charlottesville. He eventually did speak out to condemn white supremacists, specifically the KKK and neo-Nazis, but Williams said the gesture was too late, and not nearly enough to make up for his original response.

“President Trump, I do not know your heart, but what I do know for sure is that you’ve clearly done the math,” Williams said. “You’ve decided that the portion of your base that is absolutely racist is so significant, so valuable that you hesitate ― even in the face of blatant, flagrant hatred ― to risk turning them off and thereby crippling your political stronghold.”

“You remember when you said your base would stick with you even if you shot someone on Fifth Avenue? I think you are right. I think they will stick with you through anything. … They will even stick with you while you calm their fears and deep-seated anger around their perceived depreciation of the intrinsic value of whiteness in this country. Let’s be honest: That’s what this is all really about,” she added.

She added that it was possible Trump was not “personally” a racist but that he was “all too happy to reap the benefits” of the support he has among racists.

She ended her impassioned speech with a “personal plea” to Trump:

“You are uniquely positioned to forcefully call out evil, anti-American domestic terrorists. We certainly cannot change what we fail to acknowledge. I am asking you to address their anger, their misplaced fears. Let them know this is America, land of opportunity, and there is indeed enough to go around.”