Don now blames ‘both sides’

President had earlier blamed white supremacists for far-right violence

US President Donald Trump sparked another political firestorm on Wednesday when he doubled down on his initial response to the violent white supremacist rally in Charlottesville that ended in bloodshed, saying there was “blame on both sides.”

Mr Trump — who one day ago solemnly denounced racism and singled out the Ku Klux Klan and neo-Nazis as “criminals and thugs” — also hit out at what he called the “altleft”.

Mr Trump has faced days of criticism from across the political spectrum over his reaction to Saturday’s unrest in the Virginia college town, where a rally by neo-Nazis and white supremacists over the removal of a Confederate statue erupted in clashes with counterdemonstrators.

The violent fracas ended in bloodshed when a 20year-old suspected Nazi sympathiser rammed his car into a crowd of antiracism protesters, leaving one woman dead.

In a rowdy exchange with journalists at the Trump Tower in New York, Mr Trump made clear that he was fed up with continued questions about the issue. “I think there is blame on both sides,” he said.

His new White House chief of staff John Kelly, a former marine general, appeared displeased during the President’s long tirade, standing rigidly.

“You had a group on one side that was bad, and you had a group on the other side that was also very violent. And nobody wants to say that, but I’ll say it right now,” Mr Trump continued. “What about the alt-left that came charging... at the, as you say, the alt-right?... There are two sides to a story

“What about the fact they came charging with clubs in their hands, swinging clubs? Do they have any problem? I think they do. As far as I am concerned, that was a horrible, horrible day,” he said.

Mr Trump’s comments were immediately welcomed by David Duke, a former “grand wizard” of the Ku Klux Klan and a key figure at Saturday’s rally. “Thank you President Trump for your honesty & courage to tell the truth,” he tweeted. However, his comments provoked massive outrage in the political world with even Republicans expressing their disagreement and disapproval. — Agencies