Mayor asks Trump to delay Phoenix rally after Charlottesville violence

PHOENIX — Mayor Greg Stanton has asked President Donald Trump to delay a campaign rally in Phoenix after an outbreak of violence at a Virginia white supremacist protest over the weekend.

“I am disappointed that President Trump has chosen to hold a campaign rally as our nation is still healing from the tragic events in Charlottesville,” Stanton said in a Wednesday statement.

“It is my hope that more sound judgment prevails and that he delays his visit.”

Trump’s re-election campaign announced early Wednesday that it had booked the Phoenix Convention Center on Aug. 22 for a rally.

Trump has used Phoenix speeches to announce major policies in the past, including his 10-point immigration plan unveiled last year.

It was unclear what he planned to discuss, though it was thought he could speak on an act designed to curtail legal immigration or a possible pardon for former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio.

Stanton said announcing a pardon for Arpaio at the event would be nothing more than a provocation.

“If President Trump is coming to Phoenix to announce a pardon for former Sheriff Joe Arpaio, then it will be clear that his true intent is to enflame emotions and further divide our nation,” he said.

The mayor said any group has the right to rent space at the convention center and his city recognizes the right of free speech “even for those we disagree with or those who don’t represent the values we hold dear as a community.”

Stanton said his focus — along with his police department’s — was to keep everyone at the event safe.

One counter-protester was killed in the Virginia protest, along with two police officers. Trump has said blame for the violence lies with both sides, though that was met with criticism, including from Arizona’s two senators.