WASHINGTON/NEW YORK: US President Donald Trump inflamed tension after a deadly rally by white nationalists in Virginia by insisting that counter protesters were also to blame, drawing condemnation from some Republican leaders and praise from white supremacists.
In a combative news conference, Trump backed off from his Monday statements explicitly denouncing the Ku Klux Klan, neo-Nazis and white supremacists for the violence that erupted at a “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, and reverted to his weekend contention that “many sides” were to blame.
“You had a group on one side that was bad,” Trump said on Tuesday. “And you had a group on the other side that was also very violent. And nobody wants to say that. But I’ll say it right now.”
Trump later said, “I think there is blame on both sides and I have no doubt about it,” adding that there were “very fine people” on both sides.
At the weekend rally against the removal of a statue of Robert E. Lee, commander of the pro-slavery Confederate army during the US Civil War, many participants were seen carrying firearms, sticks, shields, and lit torches. Some wore helmets.
Counter-protesters came equipped with sticks, helmets and shields.
James Fields, a 20-year-old Ohio man who is said to have harbored Nazi sympathies, was charged with murder after the car he was driving plowed into a crowd of counter protesters, killing 32-year-old Heather Heyer on Saturday and injuring 19.
A memorial service for Heyer is planned in Charlottesville on Wednesday.
Trump’s remarks drew swift criticism from many Republican leaders.
“No, not the same,” Republican presidential candidate and former Massachusetts governor, Mitt Romney, wrote on Twitter. “One side is racist, bigoted, Nazi. The other opposes racism and bigotry. Morally different universes.”
US Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, who vied with Trump for the Republican presidential nomination, also responded in a series of Twitter posts.
“The organizers of events which inspired and led to #charlottesvilleterroristattack are 100 percent to blame for a number of reasons,” Rubio began.
“Mr. President, you can’t allow #WhiteSupremacists to share only part of the blame. They support idea which cost nation and world so much pain … the #WhiteSupremacy groups will see being assigned only 50 percent of the blame as a win,” Rubio added.
Former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke applauded Trump for his “honesty & courage” on Twitter. Richard Spencer, the head of a white nationalist group, wrote on Twitter that he was “proud of him for speaking the truth.”
Richard Trumka, the president of the AFL-CIO labor federation representing 12.5 million workers, resigned from Trump’s American Manufacturing Council, joining a series of chief executives in doing so.
White House officials hoping to put the controversy behind them, worried the conference would revive and intensify the controversy. Asked about next steps, one official said: “I think next steps are just to stop talking.”
Hours later, the White House sent its regular “evening communications briefing” of talking points on the “news of the day” to Republican lawmakers, copies obtained by multiple news organizations, including CNN and the Atlantic, showed.
The first summary point read: “The President was entirely correct — both sides of the violence in Charlottesville acted inappropriately, and bear some responsibility.”
Trump blames ‘both sides’ for Virginia violence as many Republicans balk
Trump blames ‘both sides’ for Virginia violence as many Republicans balk
Aramco achieves 70% local content target through iktva program
RIYADH: Saudi Aramco said its supply chain localization program has reached a target of 70 percent local content, underscoring the company’s push to deepen domestic industrial capacity.
The state energy giant said its iktva program has added more than $280 billion to Saudi Arabia’s economy since its launch, converting procurement spending into local manufacturing, investment and job creation.
Aramco plans to raise local content in its procurement of goods and services to 75 percent by 2030, extending a strategy aimed at strengthening supply chain resilience and supporting long-term economic diversification.
Saudi Arabia has been accelerating local manufacturing and supply chain development as part of Vision 2030 reforms designed to diversify the economy beyond oil and create private-sector employment.
Amin H Nasser, president and CEO of Aramco, said: “I am immensely proud of the transformational effect iktva has had on Aramco and its positive impact on Saudi Arabia’s economy.”
He added: This announcement marks a major milestone in the program’s journey and reflects an important leap in the Kingdom’s industrial development, which is largely aligned with our ambitious national vision.”
Nasser said that iktva is a core pillar of Aramco’s strategy to build a competitive national industrial ecosystem that supports the energy sector while enabling broader economic growth and creating thousands of job opportunities for Saudi nationals.
“By localizing the supply chain, iktva ensures operational reliability while mitigating disruption. Its 10-year cumulative impact reflects the depth and sustainability of the value it continues to generate,” he added.
Over the past decade, the program has identified more than 200 localization opportunities across 12 sectors representing an annual market worth about $28 billion.
These have triggered more than 350 investments from companies in 35 countries, backed by $9 billion in capital, enabling 47 strategic products to be manufactured domestically for the first time, Aramco said.
The initiative has also supported the creation of more than 200,000 direct and indirect jobs across the Kingdom, helping expand Saudi Arabia’s industrial base.
Saudi Arabia’s local content programs aim to keep more spending within the national economy by encouraging companies to manufacture goods, source services and develop expertise domestically rather than relying on foreign suppliers.
