Trump Derided and Abandoned by Press, Business, and Culture After Charlottesville
Following the violent white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, in August 2017, U.S. President Donald Trump faced widespread condemnation and defections from media, corporate leaders, and cultural institutions. The New Yorker, The Economist, and Time all published covers criticizing Trump's equivocal response. Major CEOs including Inge Thulin of 3M, Denise Morrison of Campbell Soup, Brian Krzanich of Intel, and Kenneth Frazier of Merck resigned from White House advisory councils. PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel announced the platform would block fundraising for racist groups. The entire 16-member Committee on the Arts and Humanities resigned in a scathing letter accusing Trump of fostering hatred and undermining civil rights, the Paris Agreement, and transgender service members. The article, published by Artribune, frames these events as a crisis of leadership and a split between two fundamentalisms: Islamist terrorism and white supremacist nationalism.
Key facts
- A white supremacist drove into counter-protesters in Charlottesville on August 13, 2017, killing Heather Heyer and injuring 20.
- Trump initially remained silent, then made equivocal statements blaming 'both sides'.
- The New Yorker cover by David Plunkert depicted Trump blowing a sail shaped like a KKK hood.
- The Economist cover by John Berkeley showed Trump with a megaphone shaped like a KKK hood.
- Time cover featured a Nazi arm holding the American flag with the title 'Hate in America'.
- CEOs of 3M, Campbell Soup, Intel, and Merck resigned from White House advisory councils.
- PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel said the platform would not facilitate fundraising for racist groups.
- All 16 members of the Committee on the Arts and Humanities resigned, citing Trump's failure to condemn white supremacy.
- The committee's letter criticized Trump's budget cuts to arts and cultural agencies, withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, and attacks on civil rights and transgender service members.
- The article was published by Artribune, written by Helga Marsala.
Entities
Artists
- David Plunkert
- John Berkeley
- Helga Marsala
Institutions
- Artribune
- The New Yorker
- The Economist
- Time
- White House
- Ku Klux Klan
- Committee on the Arts and Humanities
- 3M
- Campbell Soup
- Intel
- Merck
- PayPal
Locations
- Charlottesville
- Virginia
- United States
- America
- Washington D.C.
- Barcelona
- Europe