Ohio governor appeared on ‘Today’ to discuss events of Charlottesville

COLUMBUS — Ohio Gov. John Kasich has harsh words on Wednesday for President Donald Trump’s handling of the violence in Charlottesville on Saturday.

“Pathetic, just pathetic, isn’t it, to listen to this and have to hear these marchers?” Kasich said in an interview with Matt Lauer and Samantha Guthrie on NBC’s “Today” show.

Kasich took issue with what he said was Trump attempting to draw “moral equivalency” between the neo-Nazis and white supremacist groups marching and those who opposed them.

Activist Heather Heyer, 32, was killed and 19 were injured while protesting the “Unite the Right” rally, when a car plowed into a crowd of demonstrators. Authorities arrested the alleged driver, James Fields Jr., 20, of Ohio, who took part in the rally and was photographed alongside members of the white supremacist groups, and charged him with second degree murder.

In his initial statement on Saturday, Trump said there was violence on “many sides” at the event and was widely criticized for not specifically condemning white supremacist groups.

On Monday, facing pressure from both parties, Trump directly condemned racist organizations, naming the Ku Klux Klan, white supremacists and neo-nazis.

At a Tuesday press conference, Trump defended his initial remarks, again blaming “both sides” for the violence.

Kasich said Trump’s statements were hindering efforts to combat white nationalist groups.

“This is terrorism,” Kasich said. “The president of the United States needs to condemn these hate groups.”

The governor said the marchers in Charlottesville were “reminiscent of 1930s Germany.”

“Now these people are going to go other places and think they have some kind of a victory,” Kasich said. “There is no moral equivalence between the Ku Klux Klan, neo-Nazis and anybody else.”

Lauer asked Kasich what he would say to those working in Trump’s White House.

“Well, I’m not working in the White House and I didn’t endorse the man because I thought he was a person of division,” Kasich, who ran against Trump in the 2016 Republican primaries, said. “And I have been hoping and I have been restrained in wanting him to be better.”

Kasich said he hopes Trump will respond to the criticism by changing his rhetoric.

“He’s our president, but he needs to correct what he said. He’s got to understand what the people want and bring us together as a country,” Kasich said. “You’re not going to turn your back on the president. You’re going to speak clearly and bluntly and say, ‘Get your act together.’”