President Trump and Charlottesville: Uncivil Mourning and White Supremacy (original) (raw)

This essay examines President Donald Trump's responses to the tragic events in Charlottesville that took place on August 10 and 11 of 2017. It argues that Trump failed to fulfill his role as mourner-in-chief because he engaged in " uncivil mourning. " The essay establishes a theoretical framework for understanding mourning and then examines the three responses Trump gave after Heather Heyer was killed and others were injured by a white supremacist. It argues that rather than mourning Heyer or the values of protestors who confronted " Unite the Right " rally participants , Trump mourned the cultural erosion of whiteness. This follows a pattern well established in Trump's speeches and tweets.