De Blasio blames Trump for ‘dynamic of hatred’ in US

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) said President Trump’s rhetoric is to blame for “a dynamic of hatred” he argues has recently grown in the U.S.

“The challenge here is that a dynamic of hatred has been growing in this country over the last year or more,” de Blasio told WNYC’S “The Brian Lehrer Show.”

“It’s particularly come out in the open after the election. It’s clearly related to the rhetoric of Donald Trump and even other candidates during the presidential election that have unleashed forces of hate all over the country.”

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The mayor had been answering a question about a young Baltimore man who traveled to New York City to murder a black man.

“This is domestic, racist terrorism. There’s no question. It is the equivalent of what happened in Charleston,” the mayor said, referencing the 2015 shooting of nine black churchgoers in Charleston, S.C.

Lehrer had asked de Blasio what he could do in his role as mayor aside from denouncing the hatred.

De Blasio said that “real consequences” for such acts are crucial, arguing New York City is historically successful at prosecuting individuals who commit such crimes.

“An atmosphere of hate has been created,” he said. “We have to fight that atmosphere of hate with every tool we’ve got.”