Walmart CEO calls out Donald Trump’s Charlottesville response in email to employees

Walmart‘s CEO criticized U.S. President Donald Trump in an email to the company’s employees Monday evening, saying he missed a “critical opportunity” in his response to the Charlottesville, Va., protests.

Doug McMillon wrote about the importance of condemning the weekend’s protests in Charlottesville, which led to one woman being killed. During Trump’s remarks Sunday, he skirted denouncing white supremacy, saying there were “many sides” involved.

READ MORE: Donald Trump condemns white nationalists who rallied in Charlottesville

It wasn’t until Monday that he clearly spoke out against racism and the groups involved.

“Racism is evil and those who cause violence in its name are criminals and thugs, including the KKK, neo-Nazis, white supremacists and other hate groups that are repugnant to everything we hold dear as Americans,” Trump said in his follow-up address.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "Racism is evil and those who cause violence in its name are criminals and thugs, including the KKK, neo-Nazis, white supremacists and other hate groups that are repugnant to everything we hold dear as Americans," Trump said in his follow-up address.

McMillon’s message to employees was later published on Walmart’s website.

“As we watched the events and the response from President Trump over the weekend, we too felt that he missed a critical opportunity to help bring our country together by unequivocally rejecting the appalling actions of white supremacists,” the CEO wrote.

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McMillon said that the president’s Monday remarks were a “step in the right direction.”

“I will continue to strongly advocate on behalf of our associates and customers, and urge our elected officials to do their part to promote a more just, tolerant and diverse society,” he added.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "I will continue to strongly advocate on behalf of our associates and customers, and urge our elected officials to do their part to promote a more just, tolerant and diverse society," he added.

But it appears McMillon will stay on a panel of informal corporate advisers for the president. Four business leaders made the decision to quit following Trump’s delayed reaction to the protests.

WATCH: Man loses his job after being identified at Charlottesville white supremacist rally

1:39 Man loses his job after being identified at Charlottesville white supremacist rally

The chief executives for Merck, Under Armour, Intel and the president of the Alliance for American Manufacturing have resigned.

During a press conference later Tuesday, the president said CEOs were his panel leaving “out of embarrassment,” and “not taking their jobs seriously.”

— With files from The Associated Press