Al Franken blasts President Trump's reaction to Charlottesville violence on 'Conan'

Gina Ippolito

Sen. Al Franken went on Conan and discussed the tragic events that occurred this weekend in Charlottesville when white supremacists were protesting the removal of a Robert E. Lee statue, and Franken did not mince words when it came to President Trump‘s subsequent reaction to the injuries and death that occurred there.

“The violence started and there were protesters there to protest their coming there, and this driver, who has been charged, injured 20 people and killed this lovely young woman and very unbelievably sad,” Franken said.

Shortly after the incident on Saturday, Trump released a statement criticizing violence “from many sides.” This did not sit well with a lot of people who saw the statement as not going far enough to specifically call out and condemn white supremacy.

Two days later, Trump released another statement, this time more directly calling out the “KKK, neo-Nazis, white supremacists, and other hate groups,” but Franken put forth a troubling theory on why the president didn’t do it earlier.

“Unfortunately, I don’t know why on that first day he did not condemn what they did, and I fear that he thinks this is part of his base, or something,” he said.

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