Fact-checking site Snopes finally admitted, after nearly seven years, that former President Donald Trump did not refer to neo-Nazis or white supremacists at a Charlottesville rally as “very fine people”, debunking a claim often propagated by President Joe Biden. The confusion arose from a “Unite the Right” rally held in Charlottesville, Virginia, in August 2017 attended by various political groups including white supremacists, neo-Nazis, those opposed to the removal of Confederate statues, as well as counter-protestors including progressives.
Responding to a question about the rally during a press conference, President Trump acknowledged the presence of ‘very bad people’ at the demonstration, but added that there were also ‘very fine people on both sides’, articulating that some individuals were there to protest the removal of a statue of significance from their perspective.
Although Trump’s full quote was available, only now did Snopes challenge the misleading narrative perpetuated as fact frequently in the media asserting that Trump called neo-Nazis “very fine people”. Recently, Snopes published an article clarifying that Trump had denounced neo-Nazis and white nationalists in his statement. It further clarified that Trump’s remarks about ‘very fine people’ were referring to protestors and counter-protesters, excluding neo-Nazis and white nationalists.
Despite Snopes’ fact check, it is clear that the narrative, even if misrepresented, has been politically used to criticize Trump extensively, including by Biden during his 2020 campaign.