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CHICAGO (NewsNation) — President Joe Biden continued his verbal attacks connected erstwhile President Donald Trump during a code that headlined the opening nighttime of the Democratic National Convention connected Monday, but 1 assertion directed astatine Trump drew the ire of his supporters much than immoderate other.
As helium has repeatedly said successful the past, Biden said the 2017 events successful Charlottesville, Virginia, erstwhile clashes betwixt neo-Nazis, achromatic nationalists and counterprotesters turned convulsive led to his determination to tally for president against Trump successful 2020.
The lawsuit turned deadly arsenic portion of the “Unite the Right” rally, which was protesting the removal of a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. A 32-year-old pistillate was killed, and 19 others were injured erstwhile a antheral drove his car into the crowds.
In 2023, a expansive assemblage indicted aggregate people connected felony charges connected to the incident.
“Extremists coming retired of the woods, carrying torches, their veins bulging from their necks, carrying Nazi swastikas and chanting the aforesaid nonstop antisemitic bile that was heard successful Germany successful the aboriginal '30s. Neo-Nazis, achromatic supremacists, and the Ku Klux Klan, truthful emboldened by a president past successful the White House that they saw arsenic an ally,” Biden said during his code Monday nighttime astatine Chicago's United Center. “They didn’t adjacent fuss to deterioration their hoods.”
However, it was Trump’s effect to the rally that sparked Biden’s DNC comments, which drew an contiguous effect connected X, the societal media level formerly known arsenic Twitter.
What did Donald Trump accidental successful 2017?
Trump was 8 months into his presidency erstwhile the rally turned deadly successful August 2017. Two days aft the pistillate was killed, Trump spoke successful the lobby of Trump Tower and said that helium believed “there is blasted connected some sides.”
“You had immoderate precise atrocious radical successful that group,” Trump said astatine the time, referring to achromatic nationalists who were protesting the removal of the Lee statue. “But you besides had radical that were precise good people.”
ASHEVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA - AUGUST 14: Republican statesmanlike nominee erstwhile President Donald Trump speaks astatine a run lawsuit astatine Harrah's Cherokee Center connected August 14, 2024 successful Asheville, North Carolina. Trump volition talk connected the system arsenic the presumptive Democratic nominee Vice President Kamala Harris surges successful the polls successful plaything states. (Photo by Grant Baldwin/Getty Images)The comments sparked contiguous outrage and led Trump to support his comments the pursuing day. Trump said helium believed helium answered a reporter’s question “perfectly” and said helium was speaking of those who were protesting the removal of the statue.
Instead, helium said that immoderate of the protesters were unfairly characterized arsenic neo-Nazis.
“I’ve condemned neo-Nazis,” Trump said successful 2017. “I’ve condemned galore antithetic groups. But not each of those radical were neo-Nazis, judge me.”
What did Joe Biden accidental astatine the DNC?
On Monday night, Biden called the Charlottesville rally an lawsuit that occurred erstwhile “hate was connected the march successful America.” Biden said that “old ghosts” wore “new garments, stirring up the oldest divisions, stoking the oldest fears.”
Biden continued by saying that helium contacted the parent of the pistillate who was killed astatine the rally, saying that helium asked what happened. “She told me,” Biden continued.
"When the president was asked what helium thought had happened, Donald Trump said, and I quote, 'There are precise good radical connected some sides.' My God, that’s what helium said. That is what helium said and what helium meant," Biden said during his speech.
“That’s erstwhile I realized — had to perceive to the admonition of my dormant lad — I could not enactment connected the sidelines. So, I ran.”
The effect to Biden's speech
Just minutes aft Biden’s notation of the 7-year-old Trump comments, blimpish speech amusement big Charlie Kirk, the laminitis and CEO of Turning Point USA, took purpose astatine Biden on his X account.
“Sorry Joe, for the 100th time, the 'very good people' communicative you support repeating is simply a debunked prevarication and a hoax.”
Kirk included a screenshot of the fact-checking study completed by Snopes, which is considered 1 of the apical fact-checking services successful the country. In June, Snopes determined that the assertion that Trump called neo-Nazis and achromatic supremacists “very good people” was false.
The Snopes report concluded that Trump did accidental that determination were “very good radical connected some sides,” but that successful the aforesaid statement, the then-president said neo-Nazis and achromatic supremacists should beryllium “condemned totally.”
Elon Musk, the Tesla CEO who purchased then-Twitter successful 2022, reposted Kirk’s tweet and wrote, “When Snopes knows it’s a hoax." Musk’s station had been reposted 27,500 times and liked 110,000 times arsenic of Tuesday morning.
The continued statement implicit Trump’s 2017 comments
In summation to Biden’s comments Monday night, the run of Vice President Kamala Harris, who is acceptable to accept the Democratic nomination for president Thursday, besides decried Trump’s 2017 comments successful a station connected X past week.
“Seven years agone today, achromatic supremacists and neo-Nazis marched connected Charlottesville, chanting racist and antisemitic bile and sidesplitting an guiltless woman,” the run account, Kamala HQ, wrote. “This is who Donald Trump calls precise good people.”
Trump has continued to support himself against the comments, targeting media outlets for taking his words retired of context.
The comments were brought up astatine the first statesmanlike debate betwixt Biden and Trump, which played a pivotal relation successful Biden’s determination to driblet out of the contention successful July.
Biden reiterated that the events successful Charlottesville convinced him to tally for president successful 2020 and said successful the statement that Trump has “no consciousness of American democracy.”
Trump again said the claims of him referring to neo-Nazis and achromatic supremacists arsenic “very good people” were not true.
“That communicative has been wholly wiped out,” Trump said successful the debate. “(Biden) says helium ran due to the fact that of Charlottesville. He didn’t tally due to the fact that of Charlottesville. He ran due to the fact that it was his past accidental … He made up the Charlottesville story, and you’ll spot it’s debunked each implicit the place.”
