Ohio Gov. John Kasich says President Trump must 'condemn' neo-Nazis

Ohio Republican Gov. John Kasich called on President Trump to "condemn" white supremacists and neo-Nazis after their "pathetic" march on Charlottesville, Va., turned violent last weekend.

"Pathetic, isn't it?" Kasich launched in, not waiting for a question from his hosts on NBC's Today.

"To somehow draw some kind of equivalency to somebody else reduces the ability to totally condemn these hate groups," Kasich said of Trump's renewed insistence Tuesday that "both sides" were to blame for violence in Charlottesville. Kasich has condemned only the white supremacists.

The Charlottesville rally ended with the death of one woman and injuries to at least 19, police say, at the hand of an Ohio man said to have neo-Nazi views. Authorities say James Alex Fields Jr. drove his car into a group of anti-fascists staging a counter-protest at the white supremacists' rally. 

After initially blaming "many sides" for the Charlottesville violence, Trump on Monday called out white supremacists, then reconsidered. Some "alt-left" counter-protesters were also to blame, Trump said Tuesday, and some "very fine people" were demonstrating on both sides in Charlottesville.

Trump's approach reduces the presidency to "another CEO job" from the most important job in the country, Kasich said. "There is a bitterness setting in that may not be able to be removed," Kasich said. "He's got to fix this, and Republicans have got to speak out."

Kasich is a longtime critic of Trump. He ran against Trump for the GOP presidential nomination in 2016, wrote a book this year contrasting his approaches with those of Trump and has spoken out repeatedly against Trump's policies and words as president. Kasich's allies are sustaining speculation the Ohio governor may run again in 2020, even if that means taking on Trump.

So his condemnation of Trump's actions come as no surprise. What is different this time: Some rank-and-file Republicans in Congress are speaking out against Trump, although with differing degrees of directness. 

Fact check:  President Trump's press conference, in context

Analysis: Combative Trump returns to form with defense of alt-right

More: Trump: 'Alt left' protesters just as violent as white supremacists

Reaction: Lawmakers slam Trump's latest defense of Charlottesville response