Senate minority leader Harry Reid called Donald Trump’s win an election that “has emboldened the forces of hate and bigotry in America.”
“Watching white nationalists celebrate while innocent Americans cry tears of fear does not feel like America,” the Democrat from Nevada said in a statement Friday.
“Winning the Electoral College does not absolve Trump of the grave sins he committed against millions of Americans,” said Reid, who also called the president-elect “a sexual predator who lost the popular vote.”
As the nation saw a second night of protests against his victory, President-elect Trump had called the demonstrators “professional protesters, incited by the media.” Hours later, he posted a message of unity, saying he loves “the fact that the small groups of protesters . . . have passion for our great country.”
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Thousands of Americans have taken to the streets in cities across the nation, including Boston, to protest the election of Trump. Twenty-six people were detained Thursday in Portland, Ore., when demonstrations there became violent.
The protests come amid reports of attacks on minorities by Trump supporters.
Reid did not seek reelection in the 2016 race, and the Democrats held onto the seat. He has been in the Senate since 1987.