Trump condemns hate 'on many sides' in Charlottesville, calls for study and healing

President Trump

President Trump addressed the reportedly lethal violence between white nationalists and counter-protesters in Charlottesville, Virginia, on Saturday during a bill signing ceremony.

"We're closely following the terrible events unfolding in Charlottesville," Trump said. "We condemn in the strongest possible terms this egregious display of hatred, bigotry, and violence, on many sides."

There are "so many incredible things happening in our country," he continued, referring to the strength of the economy, "so when I watch Charlottesville, to me it's very, very sad." The president offered praise for law enforcement active in Charlottesville and called for "study" of what's happening to "see what we're doing wrong as a country where things like this can happen."

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"We have to heal the wounds of our country. These are wounds that have been going on for really a long time," he concluded. "We're going to make every effort possible to make sure that healing procedure goes as quickly as possible."

Watch Trump's comments in context below. His remarks begin a little after the 1:00:00 mark. Bonnie Kristian

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Bonnie Kristian

Bonnie Kristian was a deputy editor and acting editor-in-chief of TheWeek.com. She is a columnist at Christianity Today and author of Untrustworthy: The Knowledge Crisis Breaking Our Brains, Polluting Our Politics, and Corrupting Christian Community (forthcoming 2022) and A Flexible Faith: Rethinking What It Means to Follow Jesus Today (2018). Her writing has also appeared at Time Magazine, CNN, USA Today, Newsweek, the Los Angeles Times, and The American Conservative, among other outlets.