Many i the black community have side-eyed President Trump from the jump, but that side-eye has become more intense following his Charlottesville rally comments.

Groups like the Congressional Black Caucus have formally shut him out

One black Congressperson, however, is willing to have a productive conversation with Trump: South Carolina Senator Tim Scott.

Scott is the first African American senator to be elected in the South since Reconstruction. Scott met with Trump on Wednesday for about 40 minutes, CNN reports. 

Scott, who has been critical of Trump's statements on race, confirmed that the meeting held "no time of tension."

Last month, the senator told VICE News that Trump's "moral authority" was "compromised" by his statements on Charlottesville, and said that he couldn't defend Trump's words because he was "not going to defend the indefensible." 

Cut to this week, where Scott is trying to move forward with an open conversation about race in what he hopes will spur "measurable progress in reasonable time." 

According to a White House statement, the meeting focused on the "administration's relationship with the African American community, the bipartisan issue of improving race relations and creating a more unified country."

So, what about Trump's infamous "both sides" comment? 

The two actually talked about that.

"He was trying to convey that there was an antagonist on the other side," said Scott. "My response was, while that's true, if you look at it from a sterile perspective there was an antagonist on the other side. However, the real picture has nothing to do with who is on the other side. It has to do with the affirmation of hate groups who over three centuries of this country have made it their mission to create upheaval for minority communities."

Though Scott acknowledged that Trump's Charlottesville statement was the "foundation for the conversation," he wanted to focus more on the steps for moving forward. Scott recently told CBS News that he had hoped Trump would sit down with people "who have gone through a very painful part of the history of this country." 

"Without that personal connection to the painful past, it will be hard for him to regain that moral authority, from my perspective," Scott added.

Scott has exactly that sort of personal connection. He gave an emotional and resonating speech on the Senate floor last year where spoke to the issues he and other black people face, such as racial targeting with the police force, NPR reports.

"I simply ask you this: Recognize that just because you do not feel the pain, the anguish of another, does not mean it does not exist. To ignore their struggles, our struggles, does not make them disappear. It will simply leave you blind and the American family very vulnerable," Scott said.

According to CBS News, Scott believes that Trump has "obviously reflected" on his Charlottesville comments. 

"What I wanted to get out of the conversation was a focus on fairness and opportunity," Scott noted. "Most people of color and frankly all Americans, want to be treated fairly in this nation, and they want access to opportunities."