After delivering a statement condemning white supremacist and Nazi groups by name on Monday, the president reignited public furor on Tuesday when he blamed both white nationalists and counter-protesters for the mayhem in Charlottesville, saying that there were good people on both sides.
So it’s no wonder White House officials were notably absent from the morning news show lineups on Sunday.
From the Hill:
"To give you a sense of how reluctant Republicans are to talk about President Trump this week, not one member of the current Republican leadership in Congress agreed to come on the broadcast this morning," Chuck Todd, host of NBC's "Meet the Press," said.
"In fact, even the White House was unable, or perhaps unwilling, to provide a guest, right down to the White House press secretary."
ABC's Martha Raddatz, who filled in for George Stephanopoulos on "This Week," said that the White House had similarly declined to provide an official to appear on the show.
Instead, she said, the White House referred the show to Jerry Falwell Jr., the president of Liberty University and an ardent Trump ally outside the White House.
"When we asked the White House for an official who could appear on this program today to speak on behalf of the president, they pointed us to our next guest," Raddatz said, introducing Falwell.
It was not clear if White House officials turned down offers to appear on the shows.
By Max Greenwood
