By Ayesha Rascoe
WASHINGTON, Aug 22(Reuters) - Large
protests could greet President Donald Trump
on Tuesday when he travels to Arizona for his
first campaign rally since he caused an uproar
with his remarks about a white nationalist
demonstration in Virginia.
Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton, a Democrat,
asked the Republican president to postpone
Tuesday's event scheduled for 7 p.m. MST
(0200 GMT on Wednesday) in light of his
response to the street battles that broke out
earlier this month at a protest against the
removal of a Confederate statue in
Charlottesville.
Trump was widely criticized for blaming both
white nationalists and counter-protesters for
the violence at the rally organized by neo-Nazis
and white supremacists.
"America is hurting. And it is hurting largely
because Trump has doused racial tensions
with gasoline," Stanton wrote in the Washington
Post. "With his planned visit to Phoenix on
Tuesday, I fear the president may be looking to
light a match."
Several anti-Trump demonstrations are planned
for Phoenix, according to social media postings
by local activists.
Some White House officials privately expressed
concern on Monday about Trump's Phoenix
rally, fearing he might revisit the Charlottesville
issue in the heat of the moment while cheered
on by thousands of supporters.
Trump has railed against the media coverage
of his remarks, saying on Twitter that news
outlets "totally misrepresent what I say about
hate, bigotry."
It will be Trump's first trip as president to
Arizona, which he won in the 2016 election.
He will also visit a border protection facility
in Yuma, Arizona, along the U.S.-Mexican
border as he seeks congressional funding for
the wall he wants built..
Republican Governor Doug Ducey told the
Arizona Republic on Monday that he would
welcome Trump on the tarmac when he
arrived but would not attend the campaign
rally. Instead, he said he would be focused
on ensuring the safety of the event.
Trump has clashed with Arizona's two
Republican U.S. senators, John McCain
and Jeff Flake, on various issues. Both
lawmakers are critics of the president.
Last week, Trump in a tweet called Flake
"WEAK on borders, crime and a non-factor
in Senate. He's toxic!" and appeared to
endorse Kelli Ward, Flake's Republican
challenger in his 2018 re-election race.
Trump said earlier this month that he was
considering pardoning Joe Arpaio, the
former Arizona sheriff found guilty of
criminal contempt for violating the terms
of a 2011 court order in a racial profiling
case. (Additional reporting by Steve
Holland; Editing by Peter Cooney)
