WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump has deleted his first tweet linking to the Breitbart, as terrorist conducted a brutal massacre in New Zealand and releasing a manifesto that celebrated the US president as "a symbol of renewed white identity and common purpose."
US President's first tweet featured no words of condolence - or any words - just a link to a story on the tragedy posted on alt-right site Breitbart, a far-right news website that reportedly peddles extremist ideologies.
He sparked controversy in a Breitbart interview during which he touted the toughness of his supporters.
Trump's critics accused him of fomenting violence. Breitbart said Trump was talking about the "vicious" tactics of "the left."
US President, in his chat with the Breitbart News Network, said: "I can tell you I have the support of the police, the support of the military, the support of the Bikers for Trump – I have the tough people, but they don’t play it tough — until they go to a certain point, and then it would be very bad, very bad."
Hours after deleting the first tweet , Trump finally offered a more human response, tweeting a condemnation of the massacre and standing in support of NZ.
And when asked if he thought the Christchurch massacres reflected a rising global threat from white nationalism, he responded, "I don't, really. I think it's a small group of people with serious problems."
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told US President Donald Trump the best help he could provide in the wake of the Christchurch attack would be sympathy and love for Muslim communities.
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