Pence chided the media for what he called its stronger focus on Trump’s words than on those who perpetrated the violence. Amid growing bipartisan criticism of his initial response, White House advisers appearing Sunday on talk shows strove to defend the president. Many Republicans joined in the criticism of Trump, including former presidential aspirants Senators Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz. Trump is expected to hold a news conference Monday in Washington at which he will almost certainly be questioned on his response. The president has long had a following among white supremacist groups attracted to his nationalist rhetoric on immigration and other hot-button issues.

Source: The Standard August 14, 2017 01:41 UTC