The Propaganda FilesNYT columnists repeat 'very fine people' against the full transcript
In August 2019 Frank Bruni and Michelle Goldberg each wrote that Trump called neo-Nazis 'very fine people.' The same transcript, published by CNN, has Trump saying he was not talking about neo-Nazis and white nationalists, who 'should be condemned totally.'
Who it favored: Democrats
Kept a disputed claim about Trump alive against the transcript.
The pieces
- NYT Opinion (Goldberg): Trump Is a White Nationalist Who Inspires Terrorism (Aug. 5, 2019)https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/05/opinion/trump-white-supremacy.html
- NYT Opinion (Bruni): Trump's Biggest and Most Dangerous Lie (Aug. 6, 2019)https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/06/opinion/trump-el-paso-racism.html
- CNN transcript of Trump's Aug. 15, 2017 remarkshttp://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1708/16/cnr.18.html
- Archived CNN transcript (archive.fo)https://archive.fo/K6vJJ
The other side
Critics of Trump argue the rally he defended was organized by white nationalists, so 'fine people on both sides' was itself the problem; Snopes concluded in 2024 he did not call neo-Nazis fine people.
Why it's here
This is filed under Subversion, not graded as a lie. What subversion means.