The CEO of a major American pharmaceutical company has resigned from Donald Trump's manufacturing council in response to the Presidents' failure to address "hatred, bigotry and group supremacy" stemming from a white supremacist rally.

Kenneth Frazier, chairman and CEO of Merck & Co, announced his resignation in a statement on Twitter, saying: "America's leaders must honour our fundamental values by clearly rejecting expressions of hatred, bigotry and group supremacy, which run counter to the American ideal that all people are created equal."

The President quickly shot back, sarcastically tweeting that the pharmaceutical company leader would now have "more time to LOWER RIPOFF DRUG PRICES!"

Mr Frazier, who is black, previously served on Mr Trump's American Manufacturing Council, alongside prominent CEOs like Tesla's Elon Musk and Ford's Mark Fields.

His resignation comes days after a white supremacist rally in Virginia resulted in the deaths of three people, and the injury of dozens more. Mr Trump, addressing the situation on Sunday, decried the "hatred, bigotry and violence on many sides".

The comments sparked outcry from those who believed the President should explicitly denounce white supremacist and neo-Nazi groups.

Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Show all 9 1 /9 Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Protesters clash and several are injured White nationalist demonstrators clash with counter demonstrators at the entrance to Lee Park in Charlottesville, Virginia. A state of emergency is declared, August 12 2017 Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Trump supporters at the protest A white nationalist demonstrator walks into Lee Park in Charlottesville, Va., Saturday, Aug. 12, 2017. Hundreds of people chanted, threw punches, hurled water bottles and unleashed chemical sprays on each other Saturday after violence erupted at a white nationalist rally in Virginia. AP Photo Violence on the streets of Charlottesville State police stand ready in riot gear Virginia State Police cordon off an area around the site where a car ran into a group of protesters after a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia AP Photo Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Militia armed with assault rifles White nationalists, neo-Nazis and members of the 'alt-right' with body armor and combat weapons evacuate comrades who were pepper sprayed after the 'Unite the Right' rally was declared a unlawful gathering by Virginia State Police. Militia members marched through the city earlier in the day, armed with assault rifles. Getty Images Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Statue of Confederate General Robert E Lee The statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee stands behind a crowd of hundreds of white nationalists, neo-Nazis and members of the 'alt-right' during the 'Unite the Right' rally 12 August 2017 in Charlottesville, Virginia. They are protesting the removal of the statue from Emancipation Park in the city. Getty Images Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Racial tensions sparked the violence White nationalists, neo-Nazis and members of the 'alt-right' exchange insults with counter-protesters as they attempt to guard the entrance to Lee Park during the 'Unite the Right' rally Getty Violence on the streets of Charlottesville A car plows through protesters A vehicle drives into a group of protesters demonstrating against a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. The incident resulted in multiple injuries, some life-threatening, and one death. AP Photo Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Rescue personnel help injured people after a car ran into a large group of protesters after an white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia AP Photo Violence on the streets of Charlottesville President Donald Trump speaks about the ongoing situation in Charlottesville, Virginia from his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey. He spoke about "loyalty" and "healing wounds" left by decades of racism.

The White House attempted to clear up these comments later, saying in an unattributed statement that Mr Trump's condemnation of bigotry and violence "includes white supremacists, KKK, Neo-Nazi and all extremist groups". Mr Trump has yet to explicitly condemn any white supremacist groups himself.

Mr Frazier did not mention Mr Trump specifically in his statement, in which he spoke broadly of "American leaders". He said his resignation was a matter of "personal conscience," adding that he felt "a responsibility to take a stand against intolerance and extremism".

"Our country's strength stems from its diversity and the contributions made by men and women of different faiths, races, sexual orientations and political beliefs," he said.

Mr Trump created the manufacturing council in January, as part of his pledge to create jobs and cut regulations. Restoring the American manufacturing industry was a key tenet of Mr Trump's campaign, and a theme of the White House's recent "Made in America" week.

Mr Frazier is the latest high-profile CEO to step down from one of the President's councils. Walt Disney CEO Robert Iger and Mr Musk both stepped down from the Strategic and Policy Forum in June, after Mr Trump announced he would withdraw the US from the Paris climate agreement.