(JNS.org) President Donald Trump, facing criticism over his initial statement on Saturday’s violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, Monday directly condemned white supremacists and neo-Nazis as “repugnant” to American values.

“Racism is evil—and those who cause violence in its name are criminals and thugs, including KKK, neo-Nazis, white supremacists and other hate groups are repugnant to everything we hold dear as Americans,” Trump said in a statement from the White House.

“Those who spread violence in the name of bigotry strike at the very core of America,” he said.

Immediately after Saturday’s violence in Charlottesville, Trump had denounced “hatred, bigotry and violence on many sides,” and was criticized for omitting an explicit condemnation of the white supremacist groups.