After the horrifying events in Charlottesville, Virginia, on Saturday there is a firestorm of attacks against the president alleging that his condemnation of the violence was not strong enough. Below is President Trump’s statement, which he made while events were still unfolding:

We’re closely following the terrible events unfolding in Charlottesville, Virginia. We condemn in the strongest possible terms this egregious display of hatred, bigotry and violence on many sides, on many sides. It’s been going on for a long time in our country. Not Donald Trump, not Barack Obama, this has been going on for a long, long time.

It has no place in America. What is vital now is a swift restoration of law and order and the protection of innocent lives. No citizen should ever fear for their safety and security in our society. And no child should ever be afraid to go outside and play or be with their parents and have a good time.

I just got off the phone with the governor of Virginia, Terry McAuliffe, and we agree that the hate and the division must stop, and must stop right now. We have to come together as Americans with love for our nation and true affection — really, I say this so strongly, true affection for each other…



We have so many incredible things happening in our country, so when I watch Charlottesville, to me it’s very, very sad. I want to salute the great work of the state and local police in Virginia. Incredible people. Law enforcement, incredible people. And also the National Guard. They’ve really been working smart and working hard. They’ve been doing a terrific job. Federal authorities are also providing tremendous support to the governor. He thanked me for that. And we are here to provide whatever other assistance is needed. We are ready, willing and able.

Above all else, we must remember this truth: No matter our color, creed, religion or political party, we are all Americans first. We love our country. We love our God. We love our flag. We’re proud of our country.

We’re proud of who we are, so we want to get the situation straightened out in Charlottesville, and we want to study it. And we want to see what we’re doing wrong as a country where things like this can happen.

My administration is restoring the sacred bonds of loyalty between this nation and its citizens, but our citizens must also restore the bonds of trust and loyalty between one another. We must love each other, respect each other and cherish our history and our future together. So important. We have to respect each other. Ideally, we have to love each other.

The president’s detractors, however, were not satisfied with his heartfelt call for national unity. They claimed President Trump should have called out various groups by name. Responding to that criticism, the White House issued the following statement:

The president said very strongly in his statement yesterday that he condemns all forms of violence, bigotry and hatred. Of course that includes white supremacists, KKK, neo-Nazi and all extremist groups. He called for national unity and bringing all Americans together.

Vice President Mike Pence, traveling in Latin America, made this statement last night:

Charlottesville, Virginia, is a beautiful community … with a rich heritage… What occurred there is in no way a reflection of the good and decent people of Charlottesville and America.

Yesterday, President Trump clearly and unambiguously condemned the bigotry, violence and hatred which took place on the streets of Charlottesville… We have no tolerance for hate and violence from white supremacists, neo-Nazis or the KKK. These dangerous fringe groups have no place in American public life … and we condemn them in the strongest possible terms…


The president also made clear that [violent] behavior by others of different militant perspectives is also unacceptable in our political debate and discourse. Our Administration is bringing the full resources of the Department of Justice to investigate and prosecute those responsible for the violence that ensued yesterday and we will hold them to account under the law.

But this morning the pummeling of the president continues. I will have some additional thoughts in tomorrow’s report.