Trump on Charlottesville: What He Actually Said vs. What the Media Wanted You to Hear - Aug 15 2017

In his Charlottesville press conference from August 15, 2017, Trump addressed the Charlottesville incident head-on, clearly stating there was blame and violence on both sides. He famously mentioned "very fine people on both sides," but also explicitly condemned neo-Nazis and white nationalists. He challenged the logic behind removing historical statues, asking if figures like George Washington and Thomas Jefferson would be next. Trump criticized the media's portrayal of events, pointed out that protesters had permits while counter-protesters did not, and called the entire incident a "horrible moment for our country." He wrapped up by expressing confidence in bipartisan support for infrastructure legislation.

Key Moments:

0:05 - Trump denies equating moral equivalence:

"I'm not putting anybody on a moral plane."

0:15 - Describes violence from both sides:

"You had a group on one side and you had a group on the other, and they came at each other with clubs, and it was vicious and it was horrible."

0:35 - Emphasizes blame on both sides:

"I think there's blame on both sides, and I have no doubt about it."

0:55 - Mentions "very fine people on both sides":

"You had some very bad people in that group, but you also had people that were very fine people on both sides."

1:15 - Explicitly condemns neo-Nazis and white nationalists:

"I'm not talking about the neo Nazis and the white nationalists because they should be condemned totally."

1:30 - Questions removal of historical statues:

"George Washington was a slave owner... Are we going to take down statues to George Washington? How about Thomas Jefferson?"

2:00 - Criticizes media portrayal of protesters:

"The press has treated them absolutely unfairly."

2:20 - Notes legality of protest permits:

"They had a permit. The other group didn't have a permit."

2:40 - Reflects on Charlottesville as tragic:

"I thought what took place was a horrible moment for our country."

3:00 - Optimistic about bipartisan infrastructure bill:

"Infrastructure is something that I think we'll have bipartisan support on."