Story highlights Michael D'Antonio: By repeating "on many sides," Trump shows he believes those who opposed the racists were no better than the white nationalists

Given the chance to stand against hate, Trump has stayed true to lifelong role as a bully, lacking the heart required to do the right thing, D'Antonio writes

Michael D'Antonio is the author of the book "Never Enough: Donald Trump and the Pursuit of Success" (St. Martin's Press). The opinions expressed in this commentary are his.

(CNN) With one dead and 19 others injured in Charlottesville, Virginia, President Donald Trump has responded to his first domestic crisis with the cowardice of the bully he has always been. Instead of standing up to the violent white nationalists who terrorized a peaceful city, he made them morally equal to those who allied against the hate.

"We condemn in the strongest possible terms this egregious display of hatred, bigotry and violence on many sides, on many sides" said our President as civil unrest shocked the country.

By repeating the last phrase -- " on many sides " -- Trump made certain we understood he believes those who courageously opposed the racists were no better than the white nationalists who put their bigotry on display in an otherwise peaceful Virginia city.

Those who are shocked by Trump's equivocation are left to consider two explanations for his weakness. Either he favors those on the fringe who incited the violence or he is afraid of losing their support. That he is caught in this trap is made obvious by the notorious bigot and former head of the racist Ku Klux Klan David Duke who tweeted at Trump: "I would recommend you take a good look in the mirror & remember it was White Americans who put you in the presidency, not radical leftists."

Trump's slogan -- "Make America Great Again" -- taps into the feelings of victimhood experienced by whites, especially white males, who fantasize about a better day, before civil rights and women's rights eroded the advantages that came with being born white, Christian and male. With this slogan, and Trump's hateful rhetoric about immigrants, the President emboldened these individuals to mobilize into a political force.

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