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Rick KleinAug 12, 2018 10:57 AM ET
It stands as a low point in the Trump presidency, a moment difficult to justify for even some of President
Donald Trump’s most loyal allies.
Amid imagery of violent confrontations, and two days after the death of a young woman protesting against a massive white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, Trump stood in the lobby of Trump Tower in Manhattan and drew the most infamous equivalency of his time in office.
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“I think there is blame on both sides,” the president told reporters that day in August 2017.
“You had some very bad people in that group," Trump said, referring to the
white nationalist groups rallying against removal of a Confederate statue. "But you also had people that were very fine people, on both sides.”
Now, the anniversary today of the Unite the Right rally and counterprotests on Aug. 12, 2017, could test the president’s leadership. Among the big questions has been whether a man who rarely apologizes or looks back has a capacity to respond differently to any similar crises and questions.
(Kevin Lamarque/Reuters) President Donald Trump speaks about the violence, injuries and deaths at the "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville, Va., at Trump Tower, New York on Aug. 15, 2017.
(MORE: Trump lashes out at 'alt-left' in Charlottesville, says 'fine people on both sides')
Trump seems to recognize the focus on how he will respond. He posted a tweet Saturday morning that took a different tone than his “both sides” comments.
“The riots in Charlottesville a year ago resulted in senseless death and division,” the president tweeted. “We must come together as a nation. I condemn all types of racism and acts of violence. Peace to ALL Americans!”