Charlottesville Mayor Michael Signer said Monday that President Trump “whiffed” his opportunity to speak out against the violent protests over the weekend.

“I’ve already spent enough time talking about Donald Trump, he is our president with respect, but I think it speaks for itself. He had his moment. These are times for leadership,” Mr. Signer, a Democrat, said on CNN. “He kind of had his opportunity and he whiffed, and I think that speaks for itself.”

The mayor said the city is still “grieving” over the violence from the neo-Nazi and white supremacist groups, including the death of a young woman who was protesting against them. Two police officers also died in a helicopter crash. He said that white supremacists “picked the wrong city” to use as an example of racial tensions.

“If they figured they had some city to intimidate away from progress, to intimidate away from the hard work [of] telling the truth about race and our history as a Southern city, they picked the wrong city. I think, if anything, we’re going to come together. We’re going to press the gas on all the values that have made us a success story,” Mr. Signer said.

White supremacists and neo-Nazis descended on the Virginia city over the weekend in a white nationalist rally to protest the removal of a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. The plans are on hold pending an ongoing court case.

Sign up for Daily Newsletters Manage Newsletters

Copyright © 2020 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.