Despite the admission from a left-leaning fact-checker that Trump never uttered such words, Harris' presidential campaign continues to spread the false narrative, drawing backlash for its disregard of factual accuracy.
Former Vice President Kamala Harris' presidential campaign has come under fire for perpetuating a debunked claim that former President Donald Trump praised neo-Nazis and white supremacists during the Charlottesville "Unite the Right" rally in 2017.
On August 12th, 2023, the official account of the Kamala HQ posted a tweet along with a video, stating, "7 years ago today, white supremacists and neo-Nazis marched on Charlottesville, chanting racist and antisemitic bile and killing an innocent woman. This is who Donald Trump calls ‘very fine people,’" the Kamala HQ account posted on Twitter along with a video.
Kamala Harris' Falsehood: Reviving the Debunked Charlottesville Claim
The claim has been repeatedly debunked, most notably by left-leaning fact-checking website Snopes earlier this year. The site acknowledged that Trump never referred to neo-Nazis as "very fine people" during his press conference following the aforementioned rally.
In a comprehensive analysis, Snopes noted that Trump's comments about "very fine people on both sides" were directed towards protesters and counterprotesters, not neo-Nazis or white nationalists. The fact-checker went on to state that Trump explicitly condemned the white supremacists and neo-Nazis participating in the rally.
Kamala Harris' Falsehood: Reviving the Debunked Charlottesville Claim
Despite Snopes' thorough debunking, the Harris campaign has chosen to resurrect the false claim, a move that has been met with sharp criticism. Journalist Libby Emmons condemned Harris' actions, labeling it as "a hoax" and questioning the campaign's integrity.
"You fell for a widely debunked hoax. Is that what fighting for the future looks like?" Emmons posed on Twitter.
Trump's campaign also denounced the campaign, claiming that the repetition of the false narrative was a deliberate attempt to deceive the American public.
"A lie that has been so thoroughly and exhaustively debunked that repeating it insults the intelligence of the American people. Pretty much sums up Kamala's campaign," the campaign stated.
The Harris campaign has not yet provided an explanation for its decision to use the debunked claim despite the overwhelming evidence to the contrary. The move has raised questions about the campaign's commitment to truth and accuracy.
Many users on social media echoed the outrage over the Harris campaign's actions. Some called it the "hoax of the millennium," while others pointed out Snopes' ruling and urged Twitter to flag the post with Community Notes.
The persistence of the false claim, despite its repeated debunking, underscores the dangers of political misinformation and the need for fact-checking and media literacy.
