Washington - US President Donald Trump tweeted and then deleted
a video in which his supporters could be heard repeating a "white
power" slogan, in the latest instance in which the president was
accused of inflaming racial tensions.
The phrase is often used by far-right white nationalists and prompted
a backlash from within the president's own Republican Party.
The tweet came as the country is going through an intense national
conversation about race and discrimination, in the wake of police
violence and the death of George Floyd. There have been protests
around the country for weeks under the Black Lives Matter banner.
The video shows Trump supporters shouting the slogans. Trump attached
a comment saying: "Thank you to the great people of The Villages,"
referring to a retirement community in Florida where the scene was
filmed.
Senator Tim Scott, the only black Republican member of the Senate,
was quick to denounce the president.
"He should not have retweeted it and he should just take it down,"
Scott said on CNN. "The entire thing was offensive."
The White House later explained the deletion of the tweet, which had
been up for nearly four hours, saying the president was unaware of
the audio content.
"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," White House spokesman Judd
Deere said in a brief statement.
The president has been accused of worsening racial tensions in the
country over the course of his time in the White House, while failing
to promote a reconciliation programme.
In recent weeks he pushed for a tough crackdown against the sometimes
violent protests against injustice and police brutality.