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Arts and Entertainment

Patton Oswalt: 'What The F-CK Is Happening In Our Country'; Politicians & Celebs React To Trump's Speech

By  Oren Peleg
Published Aug 14, 2017 11:00 PM
Former President Donald Trump speaks at a podium and gestures with his right hand.
Former President Donald Trump during a press conference at Trump Tower. Trump did not win the popular vote.
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During a press conference on Tuesday at Trump Tower in Manhattan, President Donald Trump described the violence and chaos at a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, as a “horrible thing to watch.” He then added that counterprotestors and the "alt-left" were equally responsible for the day's events.

"I think there's blame on both sides. And I have no doubt about it," the president said. “You had a group on one side that was bad and you had a group on the other side that was also very violent. ...No one wants to say that, but I’ll say it right now: You had a group on the other side that came charging in without a permit and they were very, very violent.”The President continued, “What about the alt-left that came charging at the alt-right — do they have any semblance of guilt? They came charging, clubs in hand, swinging clubs.”

The press conference quickly drew reaction from politicians, journalists, actors, musicians, and others.

Writer/comedian Patton Oswalt's take:

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Writer/Director Judd Apatow took a similar stance:

LeBron James tweeted that Trump made hate "fashionable again":

Norman Lear, who created TV series like "All In The Family" and "The Jeffersons", tweeted:

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Chelsea Handler called on past presidents to step forward:

Barbra Streisand spelled out her case:

Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren condemned the President's comments as "sick":

Actor George Takei directed his comments to the president directly:

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Broad City co-star and co-creator Ilana Glazer underscored the connection:

Documentarian Michael Moore didn't mince words:

John Legend laughed at the president:

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Marco Rubio, the Florida Senator who ran against Donald Trump in the Republican presidential primaries, took to Twitter to state that blame for the violence at Saturday's rally lies squarely on "White Supremacists":

Actor Andrew Rannells kept his comment succinct:

Westworld co-star Evan Rachel Wood highlighted the strength of slain protester Heather Heyer's father:

Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders said the President is "embarrassing our country":

Late-night TV host Jimmy Kimmel made light of the president's comments:

As did actor Will Arnett:

Here's actress Jamie Chung's response:

Gavin Newsom, California's Lieutenant Governor, said that "we cannot forget this moment":

Singer Josh Groban mocked the president's words:

Speaker of the House Paul Ryan made his views clear:

Author and essayist Roxane Gay was blunt with her response:

Novelist J.K. Rowling made her own point:

Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda called for the president's impeachment:

Captain America actor Chris Evans seemed to be in shock by the press conference:

Zoe Kazan, who co-stared in the Big Sick, personalized her message:

And Kumail Nanjiani called out the president's supporters:

Talk show host and comedian Ellen DeGeneres focused on a positive message:

And singer Lady Gaga posed her response as a question:

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