Opinion | The author's opinion does not necessarily reflect Sarah Palin's view.
Snopes.com has debunked the claim that President Donald Trump referred to neo-Nazis in Charlottesville in August 2017 as “very fine people,” confirming that Trump had actually condemned them and used the phrase to describe non-violent protesters on both sides of a Confederate statue issue.
Despite this clarification, the false narrative was perpetuated by President Joe Biden during his campaign and even into his presidency.
Snopes rated the claim as false, emphasizing Trump’s condemnation of neo-Nazis and white supremacists while pointing out the context of his remarks.
Why don't they ever play the full video?
How can this lie still be perpetuated to this day?
3 years later and people still believe the "very fine people" lie. pic.twitter.com/TNaNuVJ3qz
— 🌴 Josh Lekach 🌴 (@JoshLekach) September 30, 2020
“On Aug. 15, 2017, then-President Donald Trump called neo-Nazis and white supremacists who attended the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, ‘very fine people,'” Snopes wrote.
“We looked into these claims, and found that while Trump did say there were ‘very fine people on both sides,’ meaning both the protesters and the counterprotesters, he also condemned neo-Nazis and white nationalists outright and said he was specifically referring to those who were there only to participate in the statue protest,” they wrote.
“In sum, while Trump did say that there were ‘very fine people on both sides,’ he also specifically noted that he was not talking about neo-Nazis and white supremacists and said they should be ‘condemned totally.’ Therefore, we have rated this claim ‘False.'”
The fact-check aimed to clarify Trump’s statements rather than the truthfulness of his words, addressing a significant misconception that has persisted.
