Story highlights Donald Trump has been ensconced in New Jersey for a 17-day working vacation

The President returned temporarily to Washington and spoke publicly

(CNN) Even the walls of Donald Trump's private New Jersey golf club weren't enough to shield the President from the withering criticism he endured for 48 hours this weekend.

It was clear to some aides shortly after Trump's vague statement on Saturday -- where the President blamed "many sides" for the violence in Charlottesville, Virginia -- that the President would have to say more. The criticism, from both Democrats and Republicans, was swift and direct. And every 140-character message Trump sent afterward only further intensified the heat on the President.

But as the pressure grew, Trump - ensconced in his club amid a 17-day working vacation - remained silent, forcing his White House to weather what amounted to one of the most trying two days of his administration, where Trump's vagueness left the door open to questions about his sincerity and left many to speculate why he was unwilling to condemn racists at the heart of the protests.

The pressure, at this point palpable inside the White House, came to a head-on Monday in Washington, where Trump stepped to a podium and delivered a statement straight to camera. Flanked by Teleprompters as aides watched on, Trump said what Republicans felt he should have done two days earlier: "Racism is evil and those who cause violence in its name are criminals and thugs, including KKK, neo-Nazis, white supremacists, and other hate groups are repugnant to everything we hold dear as Americans."

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