The fact-checking website Snopes recently acknowledged that former President Trump never referred to neo-Nazis as “very fine people” during a press conference following the Charlottesville “Unite the Right” rally in 2017. Despite widespread claims that Trump equated neo-Nazis with counterprotesters, Snopes found that Trump had specifically condemned neo-Nazis and white supremacists during his remarks. President Biden, a vocal critic of Trump, had cited this incident as a main reason for launching his 2020 campaign.
Snopes’ fact-check aligns with arguments from Trump’s camp, which has long maintained that his comments were taken out of context. Transcripts and videos supported Trump’s claim that he was not referring to neo-Nazis as “very fine people.” The false claim about Trump’s comments had spread widely on the left and was even used as a cornerstone of Biden’s election campaign. Snopes’ ruling removes this key ammunition from Biden’s arsenal just days before the first debate between Trump and Biden.
In his 2020 campaign announcement video, Biden prominently referenced the events in Charlottesville, Virginia, where he accused Trump of assigning a moral equivalence between hate groups and those opposing hate. This moment, according to Biden, highlighted the unprecedented threat to the nation. The upcoming debate between Trump and Biden will take place in Atlanta and will be televised by CNN. Biden has been preparing for the debate at Camp David, while Trump continues his campaign activities before heading to Atlanta for the debate.
With Snopes’ fact-check debunking the claim that Trump referred to neo-Nazis as “very fine people,” a critical narrative in Biden’s campaign has been weakened. This development comes at a crucial time just before the first debate between Trump and Biden. Biden’s emphasis on Charlottesville in his campaign and his accusations against Trump may now need to be adjusted in light of this fact-check. The encounter between Trump and Biden in the upcoming debate is likely to be influenced by this new information and the changing dynamics of their respective campaigns.
