The week in politics

Thousands of people, many of them students, gathered Wednesday night for a peaceful candlelit vigil at the University of Virginia following the violent clashes at the white supremacist rally last week. The crowd sang songs such as "We Shall Overcome" and "This Land is Your Land."

Republican lawmakers and administration aides found themselves weighing the costs and benefits of remaining loyal to the President, with some top GOP senators opting to call Trump out by name.

Sen. Bob Corker slammed Trump's handling of Charlottesville, saying the President "has not demonstrated he understands the character of this nation."

Meanwhile, Sen. Lindsey Graham feuded with the President on social media over Trump's remarks, with Graham urging Trump to "please fix this," and Trump accusing Graham of lying about his Charlottesville response.

"Publicity seeking Lindsey Graham falsely stated that I said there is moral equivalency between the KKK, neo-Nazis & white supremacists," Trump tweeted, "and people like Ms. Heyer. Such a disgusting lie. He just can't forget his election trouncing. The people of South Carolina will remember!"

Following the violence in Charlottesville, many local government officials are now weighing whether to keep Confederate memorials in their cities and towns.

In Annapolis, Maryland, the statue of former Chief Justice Roger Taney was removed early Friday from the Maryland State House grounds. Taney wrote the majority opinion in the 1857 Dred Scott decision declaring that slaves were not citizens of the United States.

Meanwhile, Trump tweeted that the removal of Confederate monuments erases history and is "so foolish" and "sad."

Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe embraces a worshipper after speaking Sunday at a prayer rally in Charlottesville, where he called on white supremacists to leave the city following the violence. McAuliffe slammed Trump's response, saying it was "not leadership."

Democratic leaders fiercely criticized Trump for his response to Charlottesville and three House Democrats drafted a resolution to formally censure the President for saying hat "both sides" shared responsibility for the violence.

A protester kicks a Confederate statue Monday after it was toppled in front of the old Durham County Courthouse in Durham, North Carolina. The monument depicted a soldier holding a gun and had an engraving that said "in memory of the boys who wore gray." The protest was held in response to the Charlottesville violence. Seven people were arrested in connection with the toppling.

Trump, who remained defiant amid mounting backlash over his delay in condemning white supremacists, rejected a request by CNN's Jim Acosta to answer questions Thursday following an event at the White House, calling CNN "fake news."

The mayor of Lexington, Kentucky, said he plans to remove two Confederate-era monuments from his city's former courthouse after the deadly clashes in Charlottesville.

"I am taking action to relocate the Confederate statues," he tweeted. "We have thoroughly examined this issue, and heard from many of our citizens."

Here, a municipal worker attempts to remove paint from the monument dedicated to Confederate soldier John B. Castleman that was vandalized last Saturday.

Thousands participated in anti-Trump and anti-racism rallies across the country this week. Protesters also awaited Trump's arrival at Trump Tower in New York on Monday night, shouting "Shame! Shame! Shame!"

Here, a Trump supporter, left, and a protester argue during the rally.

Workers place boards around the Memoria In Aeterna statue, a Confederate monument on Hillsborough County property in Tampa, Florida, on Thursday.

The Hillsborough County Board of Commissioners voted in July to remove the monument, which honors Confederate soldiers, from a county courthouse.

Marine One lands at the Downtown Manhattan Heliport as Trump arrives in New York on Monday night for the first time since taking office.