New York, August 16 (RHC)-- U.S. President Donald Trump is facing increasing condemnation for his defense of Neo-Nazi and white supremacist violence.  During what has been described by observers as a rambling and angry press conference at Trump Tower on Tuesday evening, the president attacked anti-fascist counter-protesters, repeating his earlier claim that "both sides" were to blame for the violence. 

President Donald Trump said: "What about the 'alt-left' that came charging at the, as you say, the alt-right?  Do they have any semblance of guilt?  What... let me ask you this: What about the fact they came charging... that they came charging with clubs in their hands, swinging clubs?  Do they have any problem? I think they do." 

During the press conference, Trump also seemed to ridicule the national movement to remove Confederate monuments, saying the protesters would next want to tear down statues of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson.  

Addressing reporters, Trump said: "I’ve condemned neo-Nazis.  I’ve condemned many different groups.  But not all of those people were neo-Nazis, believe me.  Not all of those people were white supremacists, by any stretch.  Those people were also there because they wanted to protest the taking down of a statue, Robert E. Lee."

Trump clearly defended some of the racist and white nationalist protesters who descended on Charlottesville, saying that they had a permit for the march -- while the anti-fascist protesters did not.

CNN News commented that Donald Trump's insistence Tuesday that "both sides" were responsible for the violent protests in Charlottesville, Virginia, “has turned what was a fumbling presidency into what now appears to be one on the verge of total collapse."

Trump's comments on Tuesday provoked massive, across-the-board outrage with virtually every Republican elected official in the country expressing their disagreement and disapproval with Trump's sentiments, although, notably, most did not call out the President by name.