Sen. Tim Scott said Wednesday that President Donald Trump had reflected on his Charlottesville remarks and that Trump told him that the perception of his comments was not "what he intended."
"He's obviously reflected on what he has said, on his intentions and the perception of those comments," Scott, the South Carolina Republican, told CBS News after meeting with Trump at the White House to discuss racial issues.
Scott, 51, is the first African-American senator from South Carolina and the only black GOP member in the Senate. He was elected in 2012.
"I'll let him discuss how he feels about it, but he was certainly very clear that the perception that he received on his comments was not exactly what he intended with those comments," Scott said.
The senator slammed Trump's second round of comments last month about the violence by white nationalists in Charlottesville that killed one woman and injured 19 others during a press conference at Trump Tower.
Of Wednesday's meeting with President Trump, Scott said that "what I wanted to get out of the conversation was a focus on fairness and opportunity.
"Most people of color and frankly all Americans, want to be treated fairly in this nation, and they want access to opportunities.
"It's not what the president says next," Scott added, "it's what he does."