“I’m not putting anybody on a moral plane,” Trump said during a testy Q&A with reporters in the lobby of his Manhattan tower. “What I’m saying is this: You had a group on one side and you had a group on the other, and they came at each other with clubs and it was vicious and it was horrible. And it was a horrible thing to watch.

“But there is another side. There was a group on this side, you can call them the left … that came violently attacking the other group. So you can say what you want, but that’s the way it is.”

Graham fired back in a statement a few hours after Trump’s tweets.

“Mr. President, like most I seek to move our nation, my state, and our party forward – toward the light – not back to the darkness. Your tweet honoring Miss Heyer was very nice and appropriate. Well done,” Graham said.

“However, because of the manner in which you have handled the Charlottesville tragedy you are now receiving praise from some of the most racist and hate-filled individuals and groups in our country,” he said. “For the sake of our nation – as our president – please fix this. History is watching us all.”