U.S. President Donald Trump played down any threat posed by racist white nationalism on Friday after the gunman accused of the New Zealand mosque massacre called the president "a symbol of renewed white identity." But he declined to join expressions of mounting concern about white nationalism, saying, "I don't, really" when asked whether it was a rising threat around the world. Trump was asked about white nationalism and the shooting deaths of 49 people at mosques in Christchurch after he formally vetoed Congress' resolution to block his declaration of a national emergency at the Mexico border. The man who identified himself as Brenton Tarrant left behind a lengthy document that called Trump a symbol of white identity. Many experts who track violent extremists have identified white nationalism as a growing threat in the U.S. and abroad.

Source: CBC News March 16, 2019 00:00 UTC