Republican Ohio Gov. John Kasich said Wednesday that President Donald Trump "needs to listen to the people," after Trump said there is "blame on both sides" for the violence in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Trump asked during a press conference Tuesday, "What about the alt-left that came charging at the — as you say, the alt-right?
"Do they have any semblance of guilt? 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."
Kasich called Trump's response "pathetic," on NBC's "Today" show Wednesday.
"It's terrible," he said. "The president of the United States needs to condemn these kinds of hate groups. Think about what you have seen . . . reminiscent of what we saw in Germany in the 1930's. The president has to totally condemn this."
The governor said that unless Trump does so, white supremacists will see this as a "victory."
"There is no moral equivalency between the KKK, the neo-Nazis and anybody else. Anybody else is not the issue. These folks went there to disrupt.
"President Trump needs to listen to the people before he takes this presidency in a place that is not acceptable for our country," Kasich continued.
Kasich added that he's speaking up to "provide courage" to others to do the same.
"He is our president, but I want to say that he needs to correct what he has said," Kasich said. "He's got to understand what the people of this country want and he's got to bring us together."
The governor added that you can't "turn your back" on the commander in chief.
"You're going to speak clearly and bluntly and say get your act together," he said.
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