Sharpton: ‘Any Match Could Lead to an Explosion’
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The Reverend Al and Rep. Jerry Nadler share their fears about race and anti-Semitism in the age of Trump.
civil rights leaders across the country worry what will come from Donald Trump’s equivocation on racism and hatred—and the country’s struggle in the week and a half since Charlottesville to deal with a problem much bigger than a few hundred wannabe Nazis with Tiki torches. Civil rights leaders talk about deep, visceral fear about where this could lead, and not in the usual political “concern” or “objections.” They see a searing landscape of possibilities ahead: Riots. Violence at protests and counterprotests. Deep psychological and emotional damage, especially among children.
“We’re in a poisonous atmosphere that is being increased by the president of the United States. It’s like turning on the gas in a room,” Rev. Al Sharpton told me, speaking for the latest episode of POLITICO’s Off Message podcast.
“Any match could lead to an explosion, and we’re getting that kind of atmosphere from this president.”
Into the cauldron: Trump’s rally in Phoenix on Tuesday night, which White House aides reportedly worry will stoke more tension even before he opens his mouth for a speech that few expect will do anything to change course or apologize.
Sharpton would like Trump to say he’s sorry, to turn down the temperature. But he acknowledges that would probably be meaningless to him at this point.
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