An event hosted last Wednesday morning by the Christian Science Monitor featured AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka, who was part of Trump's Manufacturing council. During the event, Trumka described what it was like being part of the council and getting support for Labor unions while there were warring factions in the West Wing. Prior to the firing of Steve Bannon from the White House, President Trump made a series of controversial comments about the violence in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Hate groups and 'Wall Streeters'

Racist hate groups organized a rally in Charlottesville on August 12 called "Unite the Right" which turned violent when they were confronted by counter-protesters.

The clashes resulted in the deaths of two police officers and a counter-protester who was killed by a white nationalist who used his car to plow into a crowd. Over the next four days, the president came out to say that both sides were responsible for the violence, defying the expectations that the nation and his aides had for him to denounce the hate groups.

During that same week, business leaders that were members of two councils assembled by the president left those councils rather abruptly, including Trumka, over the president's comments. The president later claimed that he had disbanded the councils. By the end of the week, Steve Bannon -- who was blamed for being a prime influence of those hate groups -- was forced out of the administration.

Trumka also referred to the extremist faction that Bannon led which he said gave a lot of support for labor unions, but that they were racists. Trumka also said that he found it difficult to come to a decision about the other faction, which he said were not racists, but that they were full of "Wall Streeters".

Trump takes credit

But Mr. Trumka appropriately noticed that the "Wall Streeters" were gaining the power of influence in the administration, which attests to the idea that the tone in the White House was changing. He also confirmed the lack of commitment that the president had for those councils, saying that the council he was a part of had never been asked for policy recommendations and that they hardly ever met.

Nonetheless, after the councils broke apart, President Trump wasted no time in trying to take credit for disbanding the councils on Twitter.

Trumka said that the councils were only symbolic gestures, but it's unknown if the administration was going to do more with them being that he touted himself as being a job-creating president. At the very least, the debate over whether Trump is racist or not can continue with this insight from a member of one of those councils that was there to see it for himself.
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED