“President Donald Trump praised white supremacists at the 2017 Charlottesville rally when he said there were 'very fine people on both sides.'”
Attributed to Rep. Jamie Raskin (as quoted in the article)
At a House Judiciary Committee hearing titled 'The Southern Poverty Law Center: Manufacturing Hate,' ranking member Rep. Jamie Raskin asserted that Trump praised white supremacists by saying there were 'very fine people on both sides.'
What the proof shows
Contemporaneous video and multiple verbatim transcripts show President Trump did say, at a press event on Aug. 15, 2017, “you also had people that were very fine people, on both sides.” That raw quote is real (supports the Federalist’s wording). However, in the same exchange he immediately added “I’m not talking about the neo‑Nazis and the white nationalists — because they should be condemned totally,” and several authoritative fact‑checks note this qualification. Independent reporting also documents that white‑supremacist figures praised Trump’s remarks, and many critics interpreted the remark as effectively equating or softening blame for organized racists. So saying simply “he praised white supremacists when he said ‘very fine people on both sides’” omits the explicit disavowal and the debate about interpretation — it is therefore misleading rather than strictly true or strictly false.
Corrected version
At an Aug. 15, 2017 press exchange President Trump said “you also had people that were very fine people, on both sides,” but in the same remarks he added that he was “not talking about the neo‑Nazis and the white nationalists — because they should be condemned totally.” Critics say the phrasing nevertheless created the impression he was softening blame for white supremacists.
Automated evidence confidence: 0%
References and proof
Every link was reachable when published. Each proof point states how that source bears on the claim.
Read the Transcript of President Trump's 'Blame on Both Sides' Comments on Charlottesville ↗
TIME"But you also had people that were very fine people, on both sides."
Full transcript: Donald Trump's press conference defending the Charlottesville rally ↗
Vox (transcript)Transcript of the Aug. 15, 2017 press Q&A records Trump saying the "very fine people on both sides" line and immediately distinguishing that he was not referring to neo‑Nazis/white nationalists.
In Context: Donald Trump’s ‘very fine people on both sides’ remarks (transcript) ↗
PolitiFactPolitiFact’s review: the phrase "you also had people that were very fine people, on both sides" is in the transcript, and Trump also said he was not talking about neo‑Nazis/white nationalists.
White Supremacists Loved President Trump’s Latest Comments on Charlottesville ↗
TIMEFormer KKK leader David Duke tweeted, "Thank you President Trump for your honesty & courage to tell the truth about #Charlottesville & condemn the leftist terrorists in BLM/Antifa," showing extremist leaders welcomed the remarks.
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