Trump and the "Very Fine People" Narrative

One of the most persistent myths propagated by Democratic politicians and mainstream media outlets is the claim that former President Donald Trump referred to neo-Nazis as "very fine people" in the aftermath of the 2017 Charlottesville protests. However, a simple examination of the facts reveals a different story that has been conveniently distorted to fit a predetermined narrative.

The controversy stems from Trump's remarks made in the aftermath of the violent clashes between white supremacists and counter-protesters in Charlottesville, Virginia on August 12th, 2017. During a press conference a few days later, Trump condemned the violence on both sides and stated, "You had some very bad people in that group, but you also had people that were very fine people, on both sides."^[1]

Critics of Trump seized on this statement, accusing him of equating neo-Nazis with peaceful protesters. However, what the media and Democrats conveniently omitted was Trump's subsequent clarification moments later where he said: "...and I'm not talking about the neo-Nazis and the white nationalists because they should be condemned totally."

From the transcript of the press conference:^[2]

Trump: "Yes, I think there’s blame on both sides. If you look at both sides -- I think there’s blame on both sides. And I have no doubt about it, and you don’t have any doubt about it either. And if you reported it accurately, you would say."

Reporter: "The neo-Nazis started this. They showed up in Charlottesville to protest --"

Trump: "Excuse me, excuse me. They didn’t put themselves -- and you had some very bad people in that group, but you also had people that were very fine people, on both sides. You had people in that group. Excuse me, excuse me. I saw the same pictures as you did. You had people in that group that were there to protest the taking down of, to them, a very, very important statue and the renaming of a park from Robert E. Lee to another name."

Reporter: "George Washington and Robert E. Lee are not the same."

Trump: "George Washington was a slave owner. Was George Washington a slave owner? So will George Washington now lose his status? Are we going to take down -- excuse me, are we going to take down statues to George Washington? How about Thomas Jefferson? What do you think of Thomas Jefferson? You like him?"

Reporter: "I do love Thomas Jefferson."

Trump: "Okay, good. Are we going to take down the statue? Because he was a major slave owner. Now, are we going to take down his statue?

"So you know what, it’s fine. You’re changing history. You’re changing culture. And you had people -- and I’m not talking about the neo-Nazis and the white nationalists -- because they should be condemned totally. But you had many people in that group other than neo-Nazis and white nationalists. Okay? And the press has treated them absolutely unfairly.

Despite this clear disavowal of hate groups, the mainstream media and Democratic opponents perpetuated the false narrative that Trump praised neo-Nazis. This distorted interpretation has been repeatedly cited as evidence of Trump's alleged racism, including in Joe Biden's 2020 presidential campaign announcement.

Joe Biden launched his presidential campaign in 2020 on this very lie. His announcement video relied heavily on the false premise that Trump supported neo-Nazis due to his statements about Charlottesville.^[3] Biden used this mischaracterization to leverage fear in American voters and claim that Trump was a danger to the very ideals of our nation.

Joe Biden/YouTube

Many Americans bought that lie and the mainstream media heavily promoted it. Left-wing outlets ran with the narrative, using sensational headlines such as:

"Trump Defends White-Nationalist Protesters: 'Some Very Fine People on Both Sides'" (The Atlantic)^[4]

"Trump Gives White Supremacists an Unequivocal Boost" (New York Times)^[5]

"The President’s Pursuit of White Power" (The Atlantic)^[6]

"Donald Trump is Offering Comfort to Racists and Extremists" (Vox)^[7]

This deliberate distortion is a prime example of the partisan divide in American politics, where facts are often sacrificed for political expediency. It was a powerful, albeit malicious, political strategy because it allowed Democrats not only to falsely paint Trump as a racist, but also Republican voters who supported Trump.

Even today, nearly 7 years after Charlottesville, Democrats continue to mischaracterize Trump and perpetuate the narrative. Like when U.S. House Representative Cori Bush recently labeled Trump as “White Supremacist in Chief" during a congressional hearing in March 2024:^[8]

Cori Bush is unhinged.

She just referred to President Trump as "the Former White Supremacist-in-Chief." pic.twitter.com/BMwslpK36J
— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) March 12, 2024

Fortunately, with the rise of independent media, Americans on both sides of the political aisle are waking up to the distortions and misinformation promoted by legacy media.

Hollywood actor Michael Rapaport, a vocal Trump hater, recently admitted to being duped by the media on the Charlottesville misquote. While discussing Trump on the PBD Podcast, Rapaport said, “One thing about the Charlottesville — that I ranted about, and I was wrong,” the actor said. “When you see the full quote, that wasn’t what he said.”^[9]

Michael Rapaport admits being misled by media in 2017 about Trump's 'Very fine people on both sides', firmly rules out voting for Joe Biden, Kamala Harris or Gavin Newsom

'I was wrong...when you see the full quote that wasn't what he said'

'...I'm going to tell you right now, i… pic.twitter.com/m4ZDYrgx0W
— Unlimited L's (@unlimited_ls) February 9, 2024

Even people who hate Trump are beginning to realize that a lot of their hate was, in fact, ginned up by false media narratives.

The reality is that we now live in a world where the majority of mainstream news is less about objective journalism and more about political activism. It's crucial to carefully scrutinize the information broadcast by mainstream media, and demand a transparent, evidence-based approach when it comes to news and current events.