Fact check: Checking Biden’s statement on Trump’s response to Charlottesville

President Joe Biden claimed during a July 15 interview that 2024 Republican nominee and former President Donald Trump was referring to neo-Nazis and white supremacists when he said “very fine people on both sides” had attended an August 2017 “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Verdict: Misleading

While Trump did say “very fine people on both sides” had attended the 2017 rally in Charlottesville, he was not referring to neo-Nazis and white supremacists but right-wing protesters and left-wing counter-protesters when he made the comment.

Fact Check:

Biden officially withdrew his candidacy for the Democratic nomination for President, amid growing pressure from donors and lawmakers to do so, according to NBC News. The president then endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for the nomination, the outlet reported.

During the interview with NBC News anchor Lester Holt, Biden claimed Trump was referring to neo-Nazis and white supremacists when he said “very fine people on both sides” had attended the August 2017 “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.

“The president, the then-president was asked what did he think. He said they’re ‘very fine people on both sides,’” Biden said. Biden told Holt the events at Charlottesville are what prompted him to run for president in 2020.

The claim is misleading. While Trump did say “very fine people on both sides” had attended the 2017 rally in Charlottesville, he was not referring to neo-Nazis and white supremacists but right-wing protesters and left-wing counter-protesters when he made the comment.

An online handout from Facing History & Ourselves that breaks down the timeline of events in Charlottesville indicates a “Unite the Right” rally occurred on Aug. 11 and 12 of 2017. According to the same handout, “white supremacists” gathered at the University of Virginia on Aug. 11. The next day, demonstrators gathered and a violent clash occurred between protesters and counter-protesters.

At the time, Trump reacted to the rally during a press conference focused on infrastructure. The conversation shifted to the Charlottesville rally after Trump was asked why he’d “[waited] so long to denounce neo-Nazis.” Trump responded that he hadn’t “[waited] long” and wanted to have his facts correct before making a statement.

According to a transcript of the August 15 press conference available via Politico, when a reporter pointed out the neo-Nazis were the ones who had “started [the riot]” and had shown up in Charlottesville, Trump replied, “They didn’t put themselves down as neo-Nazis, and you had some very bad people in that group. But you also had people that were very fine people on both sides. You had people in that group …I saw the same pictures as you did. You had people in that group that were there to protest the taking down of a very, very important statue and the renaming of a park from Robert E. Lee to another name,” the same transcript shows.

The then-president made it clear he was not referring to the neo-Nazis and white supremacists with his “very fine people” remark when a reporter said, “George Washington and Robert E. Lee are not the same.”

Specifically, Trump said:

“Oh no, George Washington was a slave owner. Was George Washington a slave owner? So will George Washington now lose his status? Are we going to take down…Are we going to take down, are we going to take down statues to George Washington? How about Thomas Jefferson? What do you think of Thomas Jefferson? You like him? Okay, good. Are we going to take down his statue? He was a major slave owner. Are we going to take down his statue? You know what? It’s fine…and I’m not talking about the neo-Nazis and the white nationalists, because they should be condemned totally – but you had many people in that group other than neo-Nazis and white nationalists, okay? (Emphasis added by Check Your Fact) And the press has treated them absolutely unfairly. Now, in the other group also, you had some fine people, but you also had troublemakers and you see them come with the black outfits and with the helmets and with the baseball bats – you had a lot of bad people in the other group too.”

Part of Trump’s comments featured in a clip published by C-SPAN also indicate he was not referring to the neo-Nazis and white supremacists with his “very fine people” remark.

Snopes reported Trump’s comments did not apply to the neo-Nazis and white supremacists who had attended the August 2017 rally. Similarly, PolitiFact fact-checked Trump’s comments, indicating “full context was needed.” (RELATED: Fact-Checking Trump’s Claim That VP Harris Has Never Gone To The Border)

The “Unite the Right” rally was organized by white supremacist Jason Kessler and featured participation from neo-Nazi, white supremacist, and white nationalist groups as well as the Ku Klux Klan, according to the same handout from Facing History & Ourselves. The rally was prompted by a vote from the Charlottesville City Council to remove a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee along with the renaming of Robert E. Lee Park to Emancipation Park, the handout indicates.

Trump again denied his “very fine people on both sides” comment was in reference to neo-Nazis and white supremacists during the first presidential debate of the 2024 campaign cycle, according to Time Magazine. “That story has been totally wiped out,” Trump said, the outlet reported.

Check Your Fact has contacted the Biden campaign and a Trump spokesperson for comment and will update this piece accordingly if one is received.