Trump praises 'great general' Robert E. Lee, defends Charlottesville comments
President Trump on Friday defended his Charlottesville response a day after former Vice President Joe Biden made them a focus of his 2020 announcement.
Trump was asked whether he still believes there were "very fine people" on both sides of the 2017 Charlottesville protests, which drew white nationalists and neo-Nazis, one of whom injured dozens of people and killed a woman, Heather Heyer.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The president went on to say that Lee was a great general "whether you like it or not" and that he's heard the same from "many generals" at the White House who said he is their "favorite."
Biden in his 2020 announcement video had hit Trump for his 2017 comments that there were good people on both sides of the rally, saying the president "assigned a moral equivalence between those spreading hate and those with the courage to stand against it." Brendan Morrow
Trump defended his response to the violence in Charlottesville in 2017 when he said there were “very fine people on both sides.”He said the was talking about people who “felt very strongly about the monument to Robert E. Lee. A great general, whether you like it or not.” pic.twitter.com/fulPWpY4zC— POLITICO (@politico) April 26, 2019
-
Are pesticides making florists sick?Under the Radar Shop-bought bouquets hide a cocktail of chemicals
-
Will Trump’s 10% credit card rate limit actually help consumers?Today's Big Question Banks say they would pull back on credit
-
3 smart financial habits to incorporate in 2026the explainer Make your money work for you, instead of the other way around
-
The billionaires’ wealth tax: a catastrophe for California?Talking Point Peter Thiel and Larry Page preparing to change state residency
-
Hegseth moves to demote Sen. Kelly over videospeed read Retired Navy fighter pilot Mark Kelly appeared in a video reminding military service members that they can ‘refuse illegal orders’
-
Trump says US ‘in charge’ of Venezuela after Maduro grabSpeed Read The American president claims the US will ‘run’ Venezuela for an unspecified amount of time, contradicting a statement from Secretary of State Marco Rubio
-
Bari Weiss’ ‘60 Minutes’ scandal is about more than one reportIN THE SPOTLIGHT By blocking an approved segment on a controversial prison holding US deportees in El Salvador, the editor-in-chief of CBS News has become the main story
-
CBS pulls ‘60 Minutes’ report on Trump deporteesSpeed Read An investigation into the deportations of Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador’s notorious prison was scrapped
-
Trump administration posts sliver of Epstein filesSpeed Read Many of the Justice Department documents were heavily redacted, though new photos of both Donald Trump and Bill Clinton emerged
-
Trump HHS moves to end care for trans youthSpeed Read The administration is making sweeping proposals that would eliminate gender-affirming care for Americans under age 18
-
Jack Smith tells House of ‘proof’ of Trump’s crimesSpeed Read President Donald Trump ‘engaged in a criminal scheme to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election,’ hoarded classified documents and ‘repeatedly tried to obstruct justice’
