President Donald Trump on Tuesday said "both sides" were to blame for deadly of violence at a hate rally in Virginia, APA reports quoting Anadolu.
"What about the alt-left?" he asked a reporter at a news conference in New York that was supposed to be on infrastructure, after she described white nationalist protesters as the "alt-right" -- a euphemizing for the far-right and neo-Nazi extremism.
"I think there is blame on both sides," Trump said, singling out "bad people" who participated in the white nationalist protest and a counter-demonstration.
The president called the violence "a horrible moment for our country".
Against the backdrop of ongoing outrage, including members of his own party that have demanded Trump denounce white hate groups, the president defended his decision to wait two days before releasing a statement that condemned the racial violence and hate displayed in Charlottesville.
Calling his statement "excellent", Trump took a swipe at the media, telling one reporter: "Unlike you and unlike the media, before I make a statement I’d like to know the facts."
Trump wavered on designating as a terrorist the driver of a car that plowed into crowds protesting the white nationalist rally. Heather Heyer, 32, was killed in the crash.
He said the driver, 20-year-old James Alex Fields Jr., was a "murderer" and a "disgrace to himself, his family and our country".
Trump argued that everyone who participated in the white nationalist protest was not a racist, and there was blame on protesters and the counter-protesters who stood against the neo-Nazi propaganda.
He said the "left" group "violently attack the other group, so you can say what you want but that's the way it is".
Asked to comment on how race relations have changed since he became president, Trump said they are "better or the same".
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