The Hoax
Trump Called Neo-Nazis And White Nationalists “Fine People”
The Fine People Hoax revolves around the false assertion that President Trump praised Neo-Nazis and white supremacists, referring to them as “very fine people” during a press conference following the Charlottesville rally on August 15, 2017. Biden has used this hoax to lie to Americans for years.
What Really Happened
Trump Condemned The Neo-Nazi’s And White Nationalists At Charlottesville
During the press conference, Trump explicitly condemned Neo-Nazis and white nationalists, stating, “And you had people – and I’m not talking about the Neo-Nazis and the white nationalists, because they should be condemned totally.”
Trump’s Full Remarks
Video footage and transcripts from the press conference show Trump’s complete remarks, where he denounces hate groups. Trump defines who he is referring to as the “very fine people” before he condemns the Neo-Nazis and white nationalists. This debunking is supported by other reputable fact-checking organizations, such as FactCheck.org and Snopes.
Transcript Snapshot
Reporter: The Neo-Nazis started this thing. They showed up in Charlottesville.
Trump: Excuse me, they didn’t put themselves down as Neo-Nazis, 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. George Washington was a slave owner. Was George Washington a slave owner? So will George Washington now lose his status, are we gonna take down — excuse me — are we gonna take down statues of George Washington? How about Thomas Jefferson? What do you think of Thomas Jefferson? You like him? Okay good. Are we gonna take down the statue? Cause he was a major slaveowner. Now are we gonna 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. Now, in the other group also, you had some fine people, but you also had troublemakers, and you see them come with the black outfits, and with the helmets, and the baseball bats, you got a lot of bad people in the other group too.
Trump clarifies that he is not referring to Neo-Nazis or white nationalists as “very fine people” but rather those peacefully protesting the removal of Confederate statues. Full transcript here.
Hoaxology | How The Hoax Was Made
Here’s how this hoax was made.
Selective Editing
The media often discusses the presence of Neo-Nazis and white supremacists at the Charlottesville event, pairing this with a selective quote from Trump saying, “very fine people on both sides.” However, just moments later, Trump explicitly condemned the Neo-Nazis and white nationalists, clarifying, “I’m not talking about the Neo-Nazis and the white nationalists, because they should be condemned totally.” His “very fine people on both sides” comment actually referred to individuals protesting both sides of the Confederate statue issue, not the extremists at the rally. With the full context, this distinction is clear, but the media and many Democrats perpetuated the hoax through selective editing, omitting Trump’s explicit condemnation.
Here is an example of Anderson Cooper using selective editing:
Strategic Ambiguity
The media also uses strategic ambiguity with Trump’s “very fine people” quote from his Charlottesville press conference by selectively reporting only part of his statement. This technique involves leaving out context, allowing people to fill in details themselves and reach skewed, biased conclusions. The media highlighted “very fine people on both sides” while omitting his explicit condemnation of Neo-Nazis and white nationalists. The media also often paired this reporting with violent visuals from the Charlottesville incident, which is intentional propaganda. Democrat voters, already primed to see Trump as a racist by previous media reporting, interpreted this as him calling Neo-Nazis “very fine people.” This selective quoting and framing reinforced the false narrative that Trump sympathized with white supremacists, significantly shaping public perception and solidifying the misconception that he praised Neo-Nazis.
Evidence of Media and Biden Perpetuating the Hoax
August 15, 2017
A 2017 article by Rosie Gray at The Atlantic claims Trump called white nationalists “some very fine people”
The Atlantic: “President Trump defended the white nationalists who protested in Charlottesville on Tuesday, saying they included “some very fine people”
August 7, 2019
Biden post on X suggesting Trump called Neo-Nazis “very fine people”
August 12, 2020
Biden post on X suggesting Trump called white supremacists “very fine people”
2019
Biden spreads the lie that Trump called the Neo-Nazis “very fine people” in a campaign video
Featured image via public domain.
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