violence on many sides, on many sides, this has been going on for a long time in our country. al. >> the white house trying to clear up the president's equivocation. >> he said on many sides. what are the sides? >> like i said before, we condemn in the strongest terms, the hate and violence advocated by groups like white supremacists sasupremacist s and neo-nazis and their ilk. >> he has been firm on this from the beginning, he is appalled by this. >> and the victims, two state troopers killed in a helicopter crash, and a woman killed by one of the white supremacist protesters.

>> she was a very brave person, at times it was scary as a mom to know how brave she was. but at the same time, i had raised her to be strong and independent. and you can't have one without the other. it doesn't do any good to be strong and independent if you can't speak up when it's needed. >> and good day, everyone, i'm andrea mitchell in washington. the president is back at the white house at this hour, meeting with attorney general jeff sessions and with fbi director chris ray to talk about this weekend's violent clashes between armed white supremacist protesters and counter dem demonstrators in charlottesville, west virginia.

>> the white house scrambles to deal with the growing backlash over the president not denouncing white nationalists and white supremacists and neo-nazis. vice president mike pence condemning white nationalists but also defending the president's response. >> reporter: was it a mistake for the president to be not more clear when he made those remarks, and if you were advising him now would you suggest he do it differently? >> i think the president yesterday spoke into a national moment, words that the american people needed to hear. that we condemn acts of violence. and we condemn in the strongest terms the hate groups like white

supremacists and neo-nazis and their ilk. >> reporter: with respect, only one group yesterday, mr. president, killed an american. >> and we're bringing the full weight of the federal government to bear on investigating and prosecuting that individual. for that heinous act that took the life of that innocent woman. >> reporter: was this an act of domestic terrorism? >> we will explore that, it may well have been an act of domestic terrorism. >> nbc's kelly o'donnell at the white house, and nbc national correspondent peter alexander and nbc news correspondent peter alexander.

me peter i'll start with you, the vice president trying to clean up but also trying to be careful not to overtly criticize the president. what are you picking up from him and the traveling party about their reactions to the way the president has handled this? >> reporter: yeah, andrea, i just spoke to the vice president again for a second time within the last hour, and our conversation raised from the topic that he's here to focus on, which is the issue of venezuela to the issue that obviously the reigning back here in charlottesville. i think the vice president was particularly clear about his condemnation of all groups including white supremacists and neo-nazis, but the criticism is on the president's failure to use those words, although the vice president used them explic explicitly. i wanted the vice president to explain what the president is

talking about the many sides of that. i think he's talking about those far right groups like neo-nazis and white supremacists, yesterday he talked about police officers as being one of those groups to whom the president was referring during his comments here. this is not something that the vice president wants to be seen focussing on right now, but now he's in the unenviable position of having to clean up for the president, for the president's perhaps simple failure, as some describe, this was a swing and a miss for the president. it should have been an easy lay-up for him. but again, the vice president is trying to clean up for him. >> i want to ask you about the venezuela comments in a moment. but let's go to charlottesville, where gabe gutierrez has been covering the aftermath. >> reporter: first i want to

tell you where we are, we're here just outside the pedestrian mall here in charlottesville, west virginia, people have been coming throughout the morning here paying their respects to the woman who was killed, heather heyer, who was killed when that car ran into a group of protesters, anti hate protesters. i want to focus on that car, james alex fields jr., he appeared in court this morning via charlottesville, a judge denied him bond, he said he only made $600 a week working for a private security firm just outside toledo, ohio, so he was appointed a court attorney and he was given a scheduled court date for august 25th. now we're learning more about the suspect, fields lived in ohio just outside of toledo,

hihis mother said she just didn't know exactly what type of rally he was going to, she just thought it was a political rally, she thought it may have something to do with president trump, she wasn't quite sure, she said she didn't quite know his politics. we know from a former high school teacher that he had express ed eed adoration for h. those two state police troopers who were killed in that crash while they were patrolling the scene from the sky. certainly this community is still reeling from this. there's a great deal of shock that this much hate was expressed here in charlottesville, west virginia. they really want to promote love rather than hate and they really want to remember the victims here. >> and republicans were quickly

speaking out against what the president did not say. kelley o'donnell, i want to play cory gardner on cnn and his comments, but he immediately put out a statement, he's the head of the republican senate campaign committee for 2018. let's listen. >> this isn't a time for innuendo or to allow room to be read between the lines, this is a time to lay blame on bigotry and to lay blame on white supremacists and hatred and white nationalism. >> why hasn't the president done that? >> the president has done so, when the president has driven trucks through crowds of people in europe, he's called it islamic terrorism. he should use this opportunity to say this is terrorism, this is white nationalism and it has to stop. >> and of course there was radio silence from the white house in new jersey and again today in the white house. kelly, it raises the which then,

the question that marco rubio, ted cruz, john mccain, really a clear signal from republicans who are concerned about what is happening to their party with the silence of the president on this subject. do you expect to hear from him today, perhaps when he has that photo opportunity here this afternoon when he's doing a trade action against china? >> reporter: well cory gardner called it an opportunity for the president. at any moment he has a chance to say more than he has so far. and the criticism from republicans has been clear. but it has not been an attack on the president. it has been in the nature of saying this is an imperative for the president, but not a critical attack on him that might provoke anger from the president that we have so often seen, it has been a rallying around the president to say this is what you must do to stand for the values of our country and our party. and when you have a voice like lindsay graham of south carolina, who has gone through the painful process of the confederate flag issue in his state and he was so clear in

saying the president must tell these groups from white nationalists and the kkk and neo-nazis that he is not their friend. the president has opted not to take too many questions from reporters who have asked about those groups having political support for the president or whether he would denounce them further. he has continued to walk out of the room, or in this case today, arriving back to the white house or an unexpected return to the white house, did not do it. he has a chance to do it today at that public event. he's in a similar position that he was on saturday, that he's at an event that's important to him, he wants to talk about a separate issue, china trade. so he will have an opportunity to say more around this event. >> and the ceo of merck has today resigned from the american

manufacturing council. he was at the white house, he said that america's leaders must honor our fundamental values by clearly rejecting expressions of hatred, builtry and group supremacy, . the president responded by saying that now that ken frazier of merck pharma has resigned from the president's council on manufacturing, he will have -- >> you have the fbi director and the attorney general who was very outspoken today on the today show, again as the vice president was trying to clean all of this up. they are at the white house, what do you expect that they are going to do in terms of the legal investigation into what happened yesterday? >> well, they'll tell the president what the justice department is doing, right now there are two parallel investigations, there's the one by virginia sthat has led to

the -- the justice department is separately looking at that to see if there is a civil rights charge that can be brought, perhaps a domestic terrorism charge, perhaps a hate crime charge charge, i must say looking at the federal statutes, it doesn't seem like an obvious fit for either one of those, but that's what the government is look at. in one of his department, jeff sessions said in one of his appearances, the justice department is looking at whether things could have been handled better. so the criminal investigation, the civil rights division will look at the incident with the car on saturday. but then the civil rights division itself may take a broader look at how well prepared the community was for this, and what kind of response, and as you know, there's been a lot of criticism of the police there, criticizing police has not been jeff sessions style.

but, you know, how the country handled this, how this all came together, they may take a look at that as well. >> peter alexander traveling with the president and gabe gutierrez in charlottesville. former klan member david duke hailed trump's victory as validation for the white nationalist police. >> this represents a turning point for the people of this country, we are determined to take our country back. we're going to fulfill the promises of donald trump and that's what we believed in, that's why he voted for donald trump, because he said he's going to take our country back and that's what we got to do. >> according to the southern poverty law center, there are currently 917 active hate groups in the united states. between 2015 and 2016, there was a 197% increase in anti-muslim

hate groups and a 23% increase in neo-confederate groups. joining me is the president and ceo of the naacp defense fund. to what do you attribute for what happened in charlottesville over the weekend? >> let's begin with how the foundation has been laid. you just had statistics up showing the increase in hate groups and the increase in hate crimes has been well documented by the southern policy law center, particularly since the campaign and the election of this president. and we have not heard the president of the united states, or the attorney general for that matter acknowledge the exponential increase in hate crimes that has been happening in this country, the increase in anti-muslim crimes, and the violence and defacing of the mosques that have been happening by the month. we had a veteran, a 25-year army

veteran. ricky best, who was killed in portland along with another good samaritan killed by a white supremacist, the president has said nothing about this veteran being killed. he said nothing about richard collins being killed in maryland, he was a second lieutenant commissioned in the army, young man, killed 23 years old. we have heard nothing from the president about any of these incidents and so what's happened is there's been a silence about racial violence and hate crimes, at the same time, the president from the beginning of his campaign has set a context that has emboldened these groups, and if you look on social media, you hear david duke who you just played, you look at the who are white supremacist leaders, they feel he is their leader, this statement that he made over the weekend did not condemn them, they feel that he supports them. and if you look at the campaign,

many of you in the use media encouraged violence. knock him out, get him out of here, i'll pay your fees if you punch him. those were the words during the trump campaign, he has not disavowed that kind of language, and then his policies themselves to the muslim ban, to the voter fraud commission, to the lgbt position in the recent case where the justice department filed an amicus brief. all these things have allowed the white supremacists to feel thatly -- they were willing to go to charlottesville and they were able to show their face without shame like their forebearers. the president's statement this

weekend simply was not sufficient to give them certainly that view. >> when the president says on many sides, on many sides, and he seemed to be ad libbing that phrase. what signal was he sending there? because you had one group coming in, they were mostly out of towners, as best we can tell, they were wearing uniforms, they had helmets, it's an open carry state. they had weapons many of them, their carrying confederate flags and swastikas, many of them. so obviously you can't say what everyone in a crowd is doing, but that's certainly what was portrayed and certainly with the friday night vigil as well. >> andrea, i think that was a clear signal, you're right, it was clearly ad libbed, it was meant to temper any sense of condemnation or specific identification of white supremacists, any effort to compare nazis to those who came because they believed in

equality and justice. like heather heyer, who was raised to be in justice and equality. the people who came there to stand up for the america that we thought and hoped we lived in. i didn't know growing up in this country that there was another side to nazis. i didn't know there was another side. i thought we were all on the same side in condemnation of nazis. so when the president says that, he's sending a statement. you were talking about little children coming out and not fearing anything, as he said go outside and have a good time. this was his nod to crime in urban areas. violent crime is a problem, no question about it. had nothing to do with what we saw yesterday what was an affront to the american values, the american ideal. was an affront to every person, and should be every person who cherishes democracy and equality in this country and signal to

african-americans and latinos and members of the lgbt community that were under attack as well. and muslim groups that we are not going to be protected and that the president did not say he will not tolerate white supremacy. and if he said it this weekend, it would not be believed until it's followed by policies. and so what we have to see is members of congress, those who condemn the president, also taking steps by their actions not just by their words that they stand against this. you can't confirm a judicial nominee who was a blogger who cited to white nationalist sites and you vote for hiss confirmation, like 51 senators voted for john bush just two weeks and then say you stand against white supremacy. you have to show by your actions that the people of this country have a right to expect from

their leaders. >> you see the diplomatic reception room, and he's expected to make a statement. and we expect it to be on this subject or at least on the outcome of his meeting with the attorney general and the fbi director. jonathan capehart is also joining me at the table, we just want to see what the president has to say and get your reaction on the other side. jonathan, this has been a painful time, another one of those painful moments in america. and people are crying for leadership and that is clearly why we are expecting this unscheduled appearance by the president. >> i have to agree 100%. new presidencies is a in moment to show people in the country, it made the right decision to entrust him with the power of the presidency.

you have white nationalists, you have neo-nazis, you have people out there supporting white supremacy, what other ingredients do you need to walk out there and say this is not -- this is unacceptable, i don't want you marching in my name, do not associate yourself with me. i am the president of all of the united states, and instead what president trump gave us was that this is something that happens on, quote, many sides. this is not something that happens on, quote, many sides. also the president does not have the moral clarity to do what i just said, but i also think to echo what sheryl just said, nor do i think he has the moral authority for anyone to believe what he says, he could come out and say all the words that we want him to say, say all the words that we as americans who

cherish our national ideals, what we want to hear, what we expect to hear from our president, but the fact that he has steve bannon, stephen miller, sebastian gorka, just steps away from the oval office, people who are aligned with white supremacy, who are there at the pinnacle of american power and he doesn't do anything to remove that -- those associations and those people from his administration, that says more to me than any words that he could possibly say, and then you add into that all the policy things that sheryl was talking about, from voting rights, transgender service members, to immigration, you name it, the president, in terms of policy is on the wrong side of where most americans are no matter what he says any minute now. >> and kelly o'donnell at the white house, is there anything

we can expect to hear from the president this morning? >> reporter: i think by virtue of him having as a meeting with his fbi director. he would be briefed on the latest developments. he would perhaps be more able to assign blame like he did not on saturday because of the investigation. this is a new interval for him to stand up to the moment that many people believe came and went on saturday, where he fell short. i think there's also a test for this white house more broadly, they have heart the broad and widespread emptiness that many americans have felt about his response and this is a challenge for them to hear the right words from the president and for him to try to deliver them with an authenticity that we have not seen. i was watching very carefully over the weekend following all of this, there was a discomfort in the president's presentation

on saturday, that too is an important signal today. how will he convey the words, what words will he choose to say, will he fill the gaps that have been voids over the last 48 hours and will he perhaps have some new investigative information that will increase our understanding of what happened in charlottesville. >> we should also remember, george h.w. bush, disavowing the candidacy of david duke when he was running in louisiana all those years ago, back in 191991i believe, so there is a track record of presidents, not just named obama, but past republican presidents disavowing this kind of neo-nazi, ku klux klan activity. you heard from john mccain, from his sick bed in arizona, he was one of the first out with a statement on saturday, saying this kind of hatred and bigotry

cannot be tolerated. that is what is expected of american leadership at the highest level. it's something that has become understandable, it's what we saw, frankly, after 9/11 from george w. bush when he talked about the mosques and he included the imom in the commemoration, the memorial service at the national cathedral. how does this affect the republican party going forward? because i sense from cory gardner going out so quickly, as the head of the campaign committee, the midterm committee, as well as some of the others who spoke out, ted cruz, marco rubio, you've got a number of republicans, or en hatch. >> given what happened in charlottesville, and how

shocking it was to the national conscience, it's not the only thing in the last year that has shocked the national conscience. but they see just how wrong the situation is, and how wrong it is to be on the wrong side of history here, the other thing is they're also taking a stand against a president whose approval ratings continue to slide. president trump is in the 30s, the low 30s, depending on which poll you look at it. the president is weakened politically, because of what happened with trying to institute -- repeal and replace obama care and replace it with trump care. >> and mitch mcconnell, a very popular leader among his caucus leaders. >> and jeff sessions, former senator from alabama, a colleague of theirs, the president is making no friends, whether it's attacking the senate majority leader mitch mcconnell, who he's going to depend on to get his agenda through congress. >> and sherylin, what do you

want to hear from the president, i know you want to hear policies going forward, but what would be important to hear as a laura, as a leader of the naacp legal defense fund, in terms of what kind of investigations should be launched by the attorney? >> we heard this morning that the attorney general is launching an investigation and i would love to hear attorney general sessions and the president describe this kind of violence and hate crimes as high priorities that they intend to undertake, not just for the incident in charlottesville, but all the incidents that they have been silent about and they would course correct afternoon their silence on this. i would like to see the president assign other agencies that could be brought to bear on

this. not give grants to alt right groups and counter -- these are policy decisions that the president has made and i'm not going to be satisfied with any words unless there are policies attached to them. andrea you talked about what we expect of the president, president truman was not a civil rights advocate before he became president. but when there was a quadruple lynching in georgia, he sent the fbi down and demanded answers. when the incident with the little rock nine happened and people were swarming around those children outside a school, he knew what to do. president kennedy and his brother the attorney general robert kennedy were not civil rights advocates before he became president, and before he became attorney general, but

when they were confronted with the reality of what was happening on the ground in the south during the civil rights movement, they stood up and became who we remembered them to be. president johnson had not been a civil rights advocate before he became president, but when he was presented with that bridge in selma, he became what we recall him being. that's what we expect from a president. that regardless of who they were before, in the moments that happen, when it requires you to be bigger than what you were, when it requires you to speak to the american ideal, not to the american reality, but to the ideal. we expect that of you and we have the right to expect that of you, but we also have the right to expect as all the presidents i just described did, to follow it with policy, with actual action that shows that you mean what you are saying, not simply that you are reading words off a teleprompter, or that you're resetting because your statements were unpopular. i'm not sure this president can do that, but i know we have the right to expect it of him and we

also have the right to expect it of many members of congress also and many of them uttered beautiful words, and i am grateful for them coming out so quickly with their condemnation of what happened in charlotte charlottesville. and it's time for them to step up to their actions and their leadership. if you don't believe that there's widespread voter fraud in this country, speak out against the president demonizing african-american and latino voters. if you don't believe that muslims are dangerous in and of themselves, then speak out against the muslim ban. it's time for congress and other leaders also to not only talk the talk, but walk the walk, and charlottesville is just an example of the descent to which we will fall if we don't have leadership and what we have the right to expect from those

people who work for all of us. >> and there was a question, the neo-nazi element, the swastikas that were part of this march. joining me is the ceo from the anti-defamation league, who is joining us from the middle east, from israel. jonathan, how concerning is it to you that all of these hate groups are coming together under several flags none of them flags that we should be tolerating in the u.s.? >> thanks, andrea, that's a great question. this was what you would call a big tent rally, the largest and most violent rally that we have seen in a decade. and you have seen the alt right and the kkk and the neo-nazis. in 2017, how the president of the united states cannot live up to the legacy of his predecessors, some of whom

sherylin just mentioned. some of those who cannot stand up in the gop and others in the republican party, and simply call this what it is, white supremacy, intolerance that's absolutely unacceptable and un-american under any circumstance. >> there were plenty of epithets as well. jews you lose, chanted by the crowd, have you seen a rise in this in the last several years? >> the adl tracks anti-semitic incidents and document them. we have already seen an 86% increase in anti-semitic incidences. there were people who heard the chants and blood and soil, this was actually pltearing a page o

of the nazi party. we don't expect to hear this in the 21st century in america, but what we are waiting for, is not only for the president to call this what it is, and reject neo-nazis or bring this to what he calls his enemies in the media, or the ceo of merck, it shouldn't be so hard to do what's right. and when he does that, we'll be waiting for the same kind of plan of action that sherylin talked about. we need to engage a policy agenda from all branches of government to halt bigotry in its tracks. >> it was very striking that in the second interview with peter alexander, that the vice president said it's also the media's fault for making such a big deal out of the president's remarks and not out of the initial attacks in charlottesville. at a time when oren hatch said

what he did on twitter, he said my brother did not die fighting the nazis to see nazis in the u.s. >> reporter: where mike pence, the vice president, very clearly named these groups, as did the president's daughter on her twitter feed. as did the national security advisor and homeland security advisor, there's also the question as to why the president can't say more, there is a reflexive attack on the media. i have also noticed andrea as we have been standing here that one aid came in and appeared to have removed something from the lectern and we're well past two minutes now and that leads me to believe that there's some continued thought about what will be said. that's just an educated guest. typically what's on the lectern are the prepared remarks. there's no surprise that this

white house seems to track everything that is said on cable television and they have been assessing all of the feedback coming in from so many corners at this hour. so the president's personal aid has placed the leather binder, that suggests the president is again close. this is a test for the president in a way that he has not been called on very often to bring a tone of compassion for the country, that's not where his strength has been, he's been the tough talker, he has been the businessman. as sherylin so beautifully described, the moment must bring a president into his or her fullness. and this is a test for president trump, and a man who has been reluctant to acknowledge mistakes can try to find his own voice in this but can do it in a way that will silence the critics and change the trajectory of his presidency. if he does not do this well,

this will be a hobbling event in his presidency. >> you are so correct to surmise what might have happened, there might have been some rewrites there to those remarks that have been on the podium. this is an extended two-minute warning, so we'll see him at any moment. clearly they thought he was coming in and obvious thiere's some rewriting going on. then ivanka on sunday, perhaps trying to fix the record for her father, spoke specifically about the white supremacists and the neo-nazis and she's converted to judaism, into an orthodox jewish family and a very observant family, so clearly, he may be hearing things from other sides including the immediate family.

>> unless the president says words that don't kpaser balt tensions and going after problems that don't exist such as voter fraud. the words will ring hollow. i hope as an american that the president of the united states can find it within themselves to express words genuinely that speak to the healing that the country is looking for. i just think over the seven

months of his presidency, and then if you go back over the campaign, donald trump has not given me any reason to hope that he will face the challenges of today. >> at the justice department, we have seen report that is they are transferring funds in the civil rights division. there's certainly enough signals of policy issues that have changed dramatically in the last couple of months. >> there's no question about that, it begins with the case in which we were and are co-counsel challenging voter id law that was found to be unconstitutional in one of the higher appellate courts in the country. to have the department of justice who has stood shoulder to shoulder to us in litigating this case, suddenly decided that

they wouldn't pursue an argument that the government enacted a voter id law. and i see the president's coming up to the lectern. >> about trade policy and major tax cuts and reform. we are renegotiating trade deals, and making them good for the american worker. and it's about time, our economy is now strong. the stock market continues to hit record highs, unemployment is at a 16-year low. and businesses are more optimistic than ever before. companies are moving back to the united states and bringing many thousands of jobs with them. we have already created over 1 million jobs since i took office.

we will be discussing economic issues in greater detail later this afternoon. but based on the events that took place over the weekend in charlottesville, virginia, i would like to provide the nation with an update on the ongoing federal response to the horrific attack and violence that was witnessed by everyone i just met with fbi director christopher ray, and attorney general jeff sessions. the department of justice has opened a civil rights investigation into the deadly car attack that killed one innocent american, and wounded to others. to anyone who acted criminally in this weekend's racist violence, you will be held fully accountable. justice will be delivered. as i said on saturday, we

condemn in the strongest possible terms this egregious display of hatred, bigotry and violence. it has no place in america. and as i have said many times before, no matter the color of our skin, we all live under the same laws. we all salute the same great flag and we are all made by the same almighty god. we must love each other, show affection for each other, and unite together in condemnation of hatred, bigotry and violence. we must rediscover the bonds of love and loyalty that bring us together as americans. racism is evil and those who cause violence in its name are criminals and thugs. including the kkk, neo-nazis, white supremacists and other

hate groups that are repugnant to everything we hold dear as americans. we are a nation founded on the truth, that all of us are created equal. we are equal in the eyes of our creator. we are equal under the law and we are equal under our constitution. those who spread violence in the name of bigotry, strike at the very core of america. two days ago, a young american woman heather heyer was tragically killed. her death fills us with grief and we send her family our thoughts, our prayers and our love. we also mourn the two virginia state troopers who died in service to their community, their commonwealth and their country. troopers jay cullen and burke

bates exemplify america, and our hearts go out to them and every member of american law enforcement. these three americans embody the goodness and decency of our nation, in times such as these, america has always shown it's true character, responding to hate with love, division with unity and violence with an unwavering revolsolve for justi. as a candidate, i promise to restore law and order to our country, and our federal law enforcement agencies are following through on that pledge. we will spare no resource in fighting so that every american child can grow up free from violence and fear. we will defend and protect the sacred rights of all americans and we will work together so that every citizen in this blessed land is free to follow their dreams in their hearts and

to express the love and joy in their souls. thank you, god bless you, and god bless america. thank you very much. >> and as you hear some shouted questions, the president leaving the diplomatic reception room of the white house. downstairs just off the south grounds, as the rest of the white house is being renovated. virginia democratic senator and former governor mark warner joins me now for his first national interview since saturday's incidents. thank you very much for joining us senator. did the president say what you wanted him to hear by name checking the kkk, white supremacists, racists, neo-nazis? >> andrea, i think the president in his last statement actually sounded presidential. i wish he would have said those same words on saturday when

local leaders, elected leaders across the country were calling out this kind of vileness that was exhibited by some of these hate groups on saturday. i'm disappointed it took him a couple of days, i know i got calls from senators in both political parties on saturday saying this is awful what was happening in charlottesville, but i will give the president the benefit that today he said the words, now we have to make sure that his department of justice acts on those words and that we fully pursue not only this one individual who recklessly murdered that one individual and hurt others, but that the justice department will go after some of these hate groups across the country, because they'll be back. >> you were the governor and i know you know charlottesville well. talk to me about what needs to be done there to heal these wounds and deal with the underlying problems. >> well, charlottesville is a community with a rich history of

tolerance, diversity, it's a university town, it's got a lot of folks that have moved there, it's rated one of the best small cities in america. so i think folks were surprised at what happened in charlottesville, they have gone through a lengthy process on trying to sort through the full story of race in charlottesville, which involves both these civil war monuments and the fact that for an awful long time virginia has a proud history, but we have some dark spots on that history, from how we treated african-americans after the civil war, and immigrants back in the 50s. my hope is out of the tragedy of saturday, that i'm continue to move forward with a sense of tolerance and a sense that this community will still remain great. >> the attorney general called it domestic terrorism, i don't think the president did. but do we have to call it what

it is, which is terrorism? >> i think we do, andrea. this was domestic terrorism. it was the same type of evil tactics, using a car as a weapon that we have seen in europe. and for a presidential candidate that was so obsessed about calling out barack obama for failing to use the term islamic terrorists, that same standard should be applied when we're seeing foreign based terrorism take place here in america or when we see what we saw on saturday, a hate group that practiced domestic terrorism. >> and what is your message also to -- it's a university town as you pointed out, it's a great university, obviously incoming freshmen and other students are about to alive on campus, there's a lot of issues in that wonderful community, which is the home of jefferson, that is a

complicated history as well, but also a great intellectual force in charlottesville. >> i think you'll see freshman who are starting school in a short time will continue to come in, charlottesville is a great, great community. it's got a great academic life, it's got a great tourism. and charlotte has had a history of wrestling with tough issues, the local city council there did this whole monument over 18 months, there were a number of public hearings. but some of these alt-right groups, at least in terms of their press yesterday and today, they saw-the fact that these alf right groups, they have already applied for the right to rally in richmond at a later time, they have already said they're going to rally across the

country. and i think it's important that americans of all political stripes stand up and say we support free speech but the kind of hate speeches and neo-nazi and vile efforts that these groups represent, they have no place in any political dialogue in our country. >> how do you balance the equities of free speech, this goes back to the aclu decades ago, west virginia is an open carry state. there are many open carry states in the u.s. what happens when people arrive with confederate flags and helmets and military uniforms? >> i think democracy is messy and our first amendment is what separates us from basically any other western democracy in the world. so we have got to protect that, there's got to be, though, i these appropriate police presence that was available on

saturday, sand my hope, though, is a more uniform condemnation of these groups from across the political spectrum. i was very proud when i saw so many of my republican colleagues on saturday either call tweet out messages condemning these types of groups. there is no spot -- there is a spot for anybody in the political dialogue, but not for anyone that practices hate that calls for racist -- a racist approach to our country. that is not what american democracy is built on. >> thank you so much, senator mark warner, joining us from virginia today. and back with me now, nbc's kelly o'donnell, of course, at the white house. bill countrieso, editor at large for the weekly standard. eugene robinson, a columnist, pulitzer-prize winning columnist at the "washington post." jonathan greenblatt, anti defamation league. and gabe gutierrez in charlottesville. to you first, eugene robinson. did the president hit the right

notes today, despite what he failed to do on saturday? >> well, he certainly hit more of them, andrea, in terms of name-checking, the kkk and white supremacists and neo-nazis. he did that today. he didn't do it on saturday. so on that score, i would say better late than never. i don't believe i heard him describe the incident as i would describe it, as an act of terrorism. but i would have to check the transcript and make sure -- >> no, i don't think he did. >> if he didn't, you know, i think he should have. but it was -- it was much better than saturday. i think the question going forward, of course, is what sort of confidence will he give african-americans and minorities and others who did not support his candidacy that he will protect voting rights. that he will protect life and limb in cases of police

misconduct. that he will pay attention to issues that are important to communities other than his own base. and so, again, that's a question that we have, and what happens to these hate groups going forward, whether they are pursued or is this a discreet investigation of this one young man. so we'll see going forward. but it was certainly better than saturday. >> bill crystal here. i just want to put out there that presidents grow in office with the reflection on history one forgets, but john lewis has repeatedly reminded me when we talk about these things that john and robert kennedy did not immediately grasp the significance of the marshawn washington until they saw after the fact that it was a peaceful demonstration. that's when they first invited dr. martin luther king to the oval office. so democratic as well as republican presidents have had hits, runs and misses in this

regard. race is complicated. but this president has a special burden because of the kind of campaign he ran, i think. >> right. and there are people in the democratic party and liberal movement who pushed kennedy to go further. many others had been identified with civil rights. i guess i was very much struck by mark warner's comments. i think i voted against mark warner many times for governor and senator. >> we won't tell him that. >> he knows. but he was very good today and the point that was very useful, it's very important other people make the case. and look, president trump said what he's said. i don't think he's going to go further. but senator tom cotton had a statement, he's in the balkins on a congressional delegation looking at the situation there. very strong statement denouncing white supremacists. tom core t cotton, called conte little men, racially bigoted. i think it's important other senators, members of congress and the conservative movement as a whole make clear that there is

a bright line between conservatism, we can debate a million issues, limited government, voting -- whether we should have same-day voting or voting or two weeks. that's a different kind of issue from denouncing this sort of thing. so i think it's really enough with president trump, is my view. he's done what he minimally had to do. for me now it's up to the conservative movement and republican party to really make clear that these people are beyond the pale and they don't want their support. the one thing trump didn't say, which bob dole said in '96 and george h.w. bush said years before, we have a few supporters. we don't want your support if your support is based on bigotry or racism or prejudice. >> and kelly o'donnell, you covered bob dole, as did i. that is the kind of statement that we have not -- that we have not heard from this president and are not likely to hear from this president. >> and i was also struck, andrea, by the fact that president did say racism is evil. and he did tie those specific named groups to when they commit violence, they are criminals and thugs. but i did not hear him

specifically identify these groups and say that their mere presence, their ideology, their values are evil. he seemed to link it to criminal activity, like we saw over the weekend. and i'm not sure that that is enough to make that kind of declaration. yes, he said the words. yes, he was more kind of full-bodied in his condemnation today. but i think there is still an absence of saying the mere existence of these groups is not in line with american values, and something that he does not support. he seemed to link it to the criminal behavior. and then more broadly, on the issue of domestic terrorism, i think that because we are hearing from some of the legal experts that these events and the existing statutes may not line up as easily as our common experience of terrorism, maybe, perhaps the president didn't want to set an expectation of a conviction under a terrorism statute, if that is not legally available. i would defer to our colleague,

pete williams, on that. but i was struck when pete was telling us about how there are some limitations in the code that may not sufficiently respond to this. that puts then pressure on congress to reevaluate where are the laws with respect to these sorts of acts that appear to be mimicking isis tactics using a vehicle, weaponizing a vehicle in a domestic setting. so i was struck by the fact that the president did say the words, but i wondered if he didn't do enough to say their mere existence, these groups, is it itself the problem. andrea? >> and gabe gutierrez in charlottesville, the governor was very explicit he had talked to the president. he didn't say so, but he certainly implied that he had communicated to the president that they needed to hear more from him. people there, as they heal and try to deal with this tragedy, they clearly want to see some signals -- some more signals from the justice department. >> reporter: yes, certainly, andrea. yeah, as governor terry mcauliffe yesterday, speaking at those church services, he -- you

know, said so -- said what he felt that the president hadn't. that this is evil on all levels, and he mentioned neo-nazis, the kkk, white supremacists. we had been talking to people here over the last few days, and they think -- those comments by president trump on saturday just did not sit well. yes, as kelly was mentioning, his comments did go further today. we're going to talk to a few more people to see if they think it went far enough. but this is certainly a community definitely healing right now. and andrea, we should make the case here, this is -- it's complicated community here in the sense that not everyone -- that statue that the white nationalists initially said this was all about, many people in this community did not want that statue to come down. among when city council heard from many people in the community, it was many times a 50/50 split. overwhelmingly what we have heard the last few days people were upset this violence came in here. some said people came from out of town. and they in no uncertain terms

say that white nationalism, white supremacy has no place here in charlottesville. so certainly a lot of people waiting to hear what the president would say today. while vice president pence over the last day and attorney general jeff sessions had gone further than the president did on saturday, they were waiting to hear what the president would say today. and it remains to be seen whether his comments a few moments ago satisfied folks here. certainly, this is a community that is reeling. they want to honor the victims of this tragedy, certainly the woman that was killed here, 32-year-old heather heyer. we have been seeing people come here, dropping off flowers throughout the day on their lunch break. this is, of course, the college town, the home of the university of virginia. and freshman orientation starts later this week. so this is a community that desperately wants to heal after what happened here over this weekend. and certainly they were also waiting to hear what the president would say, and we're going to talk to a few of them to get some reaction. andrea? >> gabe, thank you so much. and jonathan greenblatt, it's striking that angela merkel

spoke, the chancellor of germany, spoke out against the neo-nazis in charlottesville, virginia, before the president of the united states had. >> yeah. i mean, it's interesting to hear the responses, the analyses of your guests. but i've got to say, naming names and talking about who actually showed up at the rally and giving the president credit for that, giving the president credit for saying "racism is evil and it's a tragedy an innocent woman was killed," i'm sorry, i expect more from our commander-in-chief. this statement was insufficient. there was no plan of action. the president didn't call on doj to make sure all law enforcement is trained up in how to deal with hate. he didn't call the department of education to develop anti bias, anti hate content for schools. he didn't even say that people on his staff with links to white supremacists have no place on the payroll of the american people. so let's be clear. we should expect more from the

highest office in the land than to meet the lowest possible bar. so here's what we want -- >> jonathan greenblatt, i'm afraid we're just about out of time for this hour. but this is a conversation that we'll continue. i want to thank the entire panel for this extraordinary coverage today. that does it for us, and chris jansing is in new york at msnbc. chris? >> thank you, andrea. it was an extraordinary hour. i'm chris jansing at msnbc headquarters in new york, and we do start with president donald trump finally condemning white supremacists and white nationalists by name. this was just moments ago at the white house. >> racism is evil. and those who cause violence in its name are criminals and thugs. including the kkk, neo-nazis, white supremacists and other hate groups that are repugnant to everything we hold dear as americans. >> nbc's kelly o'donnell is at