Trump Defends White Nationalists with "Very Fine People On Both Sides" Remarks

Three days after a white supremacist murdered Heather Heyer at the “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, President Trump held a press conference that shocked the nation by equating neo-Nazis with anti-racism protesters and defending Confederate statue defenders as “very fine people.”

The “Very Fine People” Remarks

During what was supposed to be an infrastructure announcement, Trump responded to questions about Charlottesville by stating: “You had some very bad people in that group. But you also had people that were very fine people on both sides.” He elaborated that protesters defending the Robert E. Lee statue were “there to protest the taking down of, to them, a very, very important statue” and insisted “not all of those people were neo-Nazis, believe me. Not all of those people were white supremacists by any stretch.”

Trump’s remarks represented a stunning moral equivalence between white supremacists who organized a deadly rally and the counter-protesters who opposed them. His defense of those marching alongside torch-bearing neo-Nazis chanting “Jews will not replace us” normalized white nationalist ideology at the highest levels of American government.

The Three-Stage Response

Trump’s handling of Charlottesville revealed a pattern that would repeat throughout his presidency:

August 12 (Day of attack): Trump blamed “both sides” for violence, refusing to condemn white supremacists specifically, drawing immediate bipartisan criticism.

August 14 (Under pressure): Trump delivered a scripted statement condemning “racism” and “those who cause violence in its name,” appearing to walk back his initial equivocation.

August 15 (This event): Trump doubled down on his original position, angrily defending his “both sides” characterization and praising Confederate statue defenders.

The “Alt-Left” Invention

Trump also invented the term “alt-left” to create false equivalence with the white nationalist “alt-right” movement, claiming counter-protesters “came charging in without a permit and they were very, very violent.” He asked rhetorically whether opposition to Confederate monuments would lead to removing statues of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, both slaveholders.

Historical Significance

The remarks became a defining moment in Trump’s presidency and American racial politics. His refusal to unequivocally condemn white supremacist violence—followed by active defense of those protesting alongside neo-Nazis—emboldened far-right extremist movements and marked a sharp departure from decades of bipartisan presidential condemnation of white nationalism.

The “very fine people” defense would be repeatedly cited by critics as evidence of Trump’s sympathy for white nationalist ideology and his willingness to mainstream far-right extremism. It contributed to a broader pattern of Trump refusing to criticize white supremacist groups and movements, from the Proud Boys (“stand back and stand by”) to QAnon conspiracists.