Protesters rally outside Trump National Golf Club in Colts Neck

COLTS NECK – Suellen Sims said she watched in horror last week as a group of white supremacists, white nationalists and neo-nazis clashed with counter protesters in Charlottesville, Virginia, leaving one woman dead.

But she said what bothered her almost as much was the response from President Donald Trump.

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A week later, Sims, 70, a Red Bank resident, decided she wanted her voice heard. So on Saturday, she joined a nine-car motorcade of protesters organized by a grassroots anti-Trump group, Indivisible New Jersey, outside of Trump National Golf Club.

While the protest in Colts Neck had been planned for several weeks, many of the people who participated said the national response to Charlottesville was at the forefront of their minds.

"There are a lot of people who have been very frustrated this week," Sims said. "I think it was the president's refusal to properly condemn neo-nazism and white supremacy."

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Trump was criticized for his initial statement that there was blame "on both sides" for the violence in Charlottesville. He condemned neo-Nazis and white supremacists two days later, but then doubled down on his original statement and said there were "some fine people" among both the left-wing counter-protesters and the white nationalists. You can see a video of Trump's remarks below.

During his campaign and throughout his presidency, Trump has been accused of welcoming support from white nationalists and neo-Nazis who make up much of the so-called "alt-right" movement.

Many critics pointed to Trump's past leadership of the "birther" movement that questioned President Barack Obama's American citizenship. One of his top aides, Steve Bannon, once ran Breitbart News, and once described the website as a "platform for the alt-right."

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The protesters on Saturday took a rectangular path that ran onto Route 34 and then lapped around the entrance to the golf course. Some of them posted signs with messages on their rear windows, like "Love Trumps Hate." You can see a video of the protest at the golf course above this story.

"Charlottesville is weighing very heavily on our minds," said Laleña Heske, 44, of Ocean Grove. Heske said she had never gotten involved in something like a political protest before until Trump's election.

"It really changed things," she said. "He showed he really doesn't support inclusive policies."

"I think the horrific events in Charlottesville and then Trump’s ever-changing commentary on what happened has really opened up a whole new part of the debate around Donald Trump’s presidency," said Patrick Egan, a political science professor at New York University.

"What he seems to be doing so far is siding with his base but really with a small part of his base, which is one that is at least ambivalent about white supremacy and ethnic nationalism. What we’ll have to see in the weeks to come is the amount Trump’s critics continue to seize upon this theme and if Trump continues to double down as what he sees as a winning strategy to mobilize his base."

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The Indivisible New Jersey group also had protests planned Saturday for the Trump Golf Course in Bedminster, as well as locations in Jersey City and Atlantic City.

Elsewhere in the nation, protests were seen Saturday in Boston as a group of conservative activists who organized an event billed as a "Free Speech Rally" were met by thousands of counter-protesters around Boston Common.

"It's not surprising that type of behavior is in America," said Adrienne Bilaal, 62, of Red Bank, referring to the white supremacist and neo-nazi groups.

She said that racism wasn't limited to just the white supremacy groups. "They're police officers, they're teachers, they're everywhere. America doesn't want to talk about it."

USA TODAY contributed to this report.

Austin Bogues 732-643-4009; abogues@gannettnj.com