UPDATE ON AUG. 16: On Tuesday, President Donald Trump defended people who attended the white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. He condemned neo-Nazis and white nationalists, but also suggested that anti-Nazi counterprotesters instigated the weekends violence. What about the alt-left that came charging at the, as you say, the alt-right? he asked reporters.

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WASHINGTON President Donald Trump refused to immediately denounce white supremacists who launched protests that turned deadly in Charlottesville, Virginia, over the weekend.

Trump, who typically tweets swiftly and strongly in response to things he dislikes, initially issued vague rebukes to the violence, saying there was hate on many sides. He did not personally denounce specific hate groups until Monday.

The fact that Trump didnt immediately call out the ideology by name tracked with members of the so-called alt-right themselves, who use a variety of misleading terms to describe their racist beliefs. And during Trumps presidential campaign, white nationalists intentionally toned down some of their language in order to appeal to mainstream voters.

Its helpful first to parse the various phrases that have been thrown around. White supremacy refers to a full-fledged ideology that asserts whites should have dominance over people of other races, according to the Anti-Defamation League. White separatists promote physical separation of races. A white nationalist emphasizes that countries or regions should be defined by a white racial identity. Other ideologies under the nationalist umbrella neo-Nazi groups, for example openly praise Adolf Hitler. The founder of Aryan Nations, Richard Butler, wanted an all-white homeland in the Pacific Northwest .

But delving into the specifics of each of these subgroups can sometimes miss the point. Very often its useful to call people what they are: racists or white supremacists, said Mark Potok, senior fellow at the Southern Poverty Law Center.