Was Trump referring to white supremacists when he mentioned 'good people on both sides'?

1. What he actually said — the words and the setting

In an impromptu August 15, 2017 news conference about Charlottesville, Trump said there was “blame on both sides” and that “you also had people that were very fine people, on both sides,” while also saying “you had some very bad people in that group” (transcript and coverage) ^{[1] [2]}. Video clips and transcripts of the event reproduce those lines directly and were widely circulated ^{[5] [6]}.

2. Did he name white supremacists in the same breath?

His words did not explicitly label neo-Nazis or white supremacists as “very fine people.” Multiple outlets emphasize that Trump said some people in the rally were “very bad people” — a phrase he used alongside the “very fine people” line — and that his “both sides” framing encompassed protesters who opposed removing Confederate monuments and the counterprotesters confronting them ^{[2] [1]}.

3. How critics and supporters read the line

Major news organizations and commentators interpreted the remark as creating a moral equivalence between hate groups and those opposing them; the comment “drew quick condemnation” and was widely panned for that reason ^[2]. Fact-checkers and opponents argued the phrase “assigned a moral equivalence between those spreading hate and those with the courage to stand against it,” a framing used by then-candidate critics ^[3].

4. Trump’s subsequent and prior condemnations — important context

Reporting and fact-checking note that Trump did, on other occasions and in other statements, condemn white supremacists and neo-Nazis by name and signed a resolution rejecting such groups; outlets record both the “both sides” comment and those later condemnations ^{[4] [3]}. FactCheck.org summarized that Trump twice specifically condemned white supremacists and neo-Nazis, even as his “very fine people” remark generated controversy ^[3].

5. How defenders interpret his intent

Some defenders and subsequent fact-checking find that Trump intended to distinguish between violent white supremacists and nonviolent monument protesters, arguing he meant “both sides” as the rally organizers and the nonviolent attendees protesting the statue removal, not to praise extremist groups ^{[2] [7]}. Snopes’ review stresses that the phrase referred to both protesters and counterprotesters and that he separately condemned neo-Nazis and white nationalists ^[7].

6. Why the phrasing mattered politically

The phrase became politically consequential because observers and rivals read a single sentence — “very fine people, on both sides” — as conferring legitimacy on or failing to fully denounce white supremacists; that reaction drove bipartisan criticism and sustained coverage ^{[2] [4]}. The remark’s resonance came from its timing amid violence that left one counterprotester dead and from national sensitivity about public officials’ responses to racist extremism ^[2].

7. What available sources do not say

Available sources do not mention any explicit transcript line where Trump single-handedly names white supremacists as “very fine people” verbatim; they also do not provide a definitive, universally accepted reading of his intent beyond the words he spoke — interpretation varies across outlets and fact-checkers ^{[1] [2] [3]}.

8. Bottom line for readers

The factual record: Trump used the phrase “very fine people on both sides” in direct reference to the Charlottesville events ^{[1] [2]}. The interpretive contest: critics say the line equated counterprotesters with white supremacists and therefore failed to sufficiently condemn hate groups; supporters and some fact-checkers point out he separately and explicitly condemned neo-Nazis and white nationalists ^{[2] [3]}. Decide whether the split between a literal reading of his words and their broader moral effect matters more; both the quote and the criticism are documented in contemporary reporting ^{[1] [2] [3]}.