Defends Charlottesville marchers at Trump Tower: "Very fine people on both sides"
In a combative press conference at Trump Tower, Trump doubled down on his "many sides" rhetoric. He argued that there was "blame on both sides" and famously stated, "You had some very bad people in that group, but you also had people that were very fine people, on both sides," referring to the white supremacist rally.
“You had some very bad people in that group. But you also had people that were very fine people, on both sides.” — Trump Tower Press Conference
Analysis Feed
AI commentaryThis press conference was unscripted and combative. Trump went off-teleprompter after being forced to read a scripted condemnation on Aug 14. His true feelings emerged: defending people who marched alongside Nazis as 'very fine people' because some were ostensibly there only for statue preservation. Video shows the entire crowd chanting Nazi slogans.
The 'very fine people' comment became shorthand for Trump's relationship with white supremacy. It was so damaging that Biden cited it as his reason for running in 2020. Trump defenders later claimed he wasn't referring to neo-Nazis, but the rally WAS neo-Nazi - there were no 'fine' statue defenders separate from the torch-bearing crowd.
Pattern: 'Many sides' → 'fine people' → 'stand back and stand by' → pardon of Jan 6 defendants. Trump consistently refused to condemn right-wing violence in clear terms, always finding ways to either create false equivalence or signal support to the perpetrators.