Trump, whose own previous responses to the movement have drawn scrutiny, expressed sympathy for the victims who died at "places of worship turned into scenes of evil killing." But he declined to join expressions of mounting concern about white nationalism. When asked whether he thought it was a rising threat around the world, he responded, "I don't really."
"I think it's a small group of people that have very, very serious problems, I guess," Trump said Friday. "If you look at what happened in New Zealand, perhaps that's the case. I don't know enough about it yet. But it's certainly a terrible thing."
Trump was asked about white nationalism and the shooting deaths of 49 people at mosques in Christchurch after he formally vetoed Congress' resolution to block his declaration of a national emergency at the Mexico border. His veto, aimed at freeing money to build more miles of a border wall against illegal immigration, is expected to survive any congressional effort to overturn it.
Questioned about the accused gunman's reference to him, Trump professed ignorance.
"I didn't see it. I didn't see it," he said. "But I think it's a horrible event ... a horrible, disgraceful thing and a horrible act."
Sen. Amy Klobuchar told Iowa voters Saturday that "it's our job to stand up against" white supremacism. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, who is also seeking the Democratic presidential nomination, accused Trump of taking "rank with those who want to spread fear and division across the world."
Former Texas Rep. Beto O'Rourke, who entered the Democratic race this week, said, "We must call out this hatred, this Islamophobia, this intolerance, and the violence that predictably follows from the rhetoric that we use."
"It's outrageous to even make that connection between this deranged individual that committed this evil crime to the president who has repeatedly condemned bigotry, racism and made it very clear that this is a terrorist attack," Mercedes Schlapp, the White House's director of strategic communication, told reporters on Friday. "We are there to support and stand with the people of New Zealand."
Trump's hardline immigration rhetoric and calls to return America to its traditional past have been embraced by many on the conservative fringes, including some who troll online with racist imagery, as well as white supremacists who have looked to engage in violence.