Did Trump Call Neo-Nazis 'Very Fine People' After Charlottesville?

Fact checker Snopes (Lean Left bias) has debunked the claim that former President Donald Trump referred to white supremacists and neo-Nazis at a 2017 protest that turned violent in Charlottesville, Virginia as "very fine people.”

For Context: In August 2017, the Unite the Right rally turned violent when those protesting the planned removal of a Confederate statue clashed with leftist counterprotesters. A white supremacist was charged with murder and hate crimes after driving his truck into a crowd, killing one. Trump delivered the remarks at a news conference a few days after the protests. Some of Trump’s critics, including political adversaries and some liberal media outlets, have used the statement against him since.

Snopes’ Verdict: (Trump said there were) “‘very fine people on both sides,’ referring to the protesters and the counterprotesters. He said in the same statement he wasn't talking about neo-Nazis and white nationalists, who he said should be ‘condemned totally.’”

Prior Fact Check: In 2020, USA Today Fact Check (Lean Left bias) examined the claim that “the media misquoted Trump's 'very fine people on both sides' statement,” and found it to be “partly false.”

How The Media Covered It: The story was very widely covered by the right. Aside from Snopes’ article, as of midday Monday, AllSides did not find coverage from the Center or Left. The Daily Caller (Right bias) led by saying Snopes “issued a correction,” though the outlet did not fact-check the claim previously.