UPDATE - Trump blames both sides for Charlottesville

ADDS TOPPLING OF CONFEDERATE MONUMENTS, UPDATES CASUALTY COUNT

By Canberk Yuksel

NEW YORK (AA) - President Donald Trump said Tuesday "both sides" were to blame for the deadly violence at a hate rally in Virginia.

"What about the alt-left?" he asked a reporter at a news conference in New York that was supposed to be on infrastructure after she described white nationalist protesters as the "alt-right" -- a euphemism for the far-right and neo-Nazi extremism.

"I think there is blame on both sides," Trump said, singling out "bad people" who participated in the white nationalist protest and counter-demonstration over the weekend.

The president called the violence "a horrible moment for our country."

Against the backdrop of ongoing outrage, with members of Trump’s own party demanding that he denounce white hate groups, the president defended his decision to wait two days before releasing a statement condemning the racial violence and hate displayed in Charlottesville.

Calling his statement "excellent", Trump took a swipe at the media, telling one reporter: "Unlike you and unlike the media, before I make a statement, I’d like to know the facts."

Trump wavered on designating as a terrorist the driver of a car that plowed into crowds protesting the white nationalist rally. Heather Heyer, 32, was killed in the crash, and nearly 20 others were injured.

He said the driver, 20-year-old James Alex Fields Jr., was a "murderer" and a "disgrace to himself, his family and our country."

Trump argued that everyone who participated in the white nationalist protest was not a racist, and there was blame on protesters and the counter-protesters who stood against the neo-Nazi propaganda.

He said the "left" group "violently attacked the other group, so you can say what you want, but that's the way it is."

Asked to comment on how race relations have changed since he became president, Trump said they are "better or the same."

A female college student was arrested Tuesday for her suspected role in toppling a monument to confederate fighters in North Carolina amid growing discontent over confederate symbols in public spaces which were prominent at this weekend's white supremacist rally.

Takiya Thompson, 22, allegedly tore down the statue in front of government offices in Durham County during a solidarity rally with Charlottesville's counter-protesters. Her name has also been reported as Taqiyah Thompson.

Widespread protests have erupted across the country since this weekend’s white supremacist gathering in Virginia.

*Michael Hernandez contributed to this report from Washington