Kasich: Trump needs to ‘listen to the people’

Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R) on Wednesday urged President Trump to listen to the American people after Trump held a defiant press conference in which he said there is “blame on both sides” for the violent clashes in Charlottesville, Va.

“President Trump needs to listen to the people before he takes this presidency in a place that is not acceptable for our country,” Kasich said on NBC’s “Today.”

The Ohio governor said he is speaking out as aggressively as he can and hopes that he can “provide courage” to others.

{mosads}”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.”

But, Kasich added, you can’t “turn your back” on the president.

“You’re going to speak clearly and bluntly and say get your act together,” Kasich said.

His comments come after Trump on Tuesday gave a controversial news conference in which he again said there is “blame on both sides” for the deadly violence over the weekend at a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Va., when a driver plowed his car into a group of peaceful conterprotesters, killing one and injuring at least a dozen others. 

“What about the alt-left that came charging at the — as you say, the alt-right?” Trump asked during the press conference.

“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.”