In an interview with Robert Costa on CBS News’ Sunday Morning, President Joe Biden once again repeated the debunked “fine people hoax” regarding Charlottesville.
Biden falsely asserted, as he has since launching his campaign in April 2019, that then-President Donald Trump praised neo-Nazis who rioted in Charlottesville, Virginia, in August 2017. However, the transcript shows that Trump actually condemned the neo-Nazis.
Breitbart News confronted Biden in 2019 about his repeated misquoting of Trump, but the issue remained unaddressed.
Despite the hoax being repeatedly debunked on live TV, Costa did not correct or challenge Biden during the interview. Instead, Costa, a former reporter for the conservative National Review, asked Biden whether he believed there would be a peaceful transfer of power, implying a connection between Charlottesville and potential future violence.
The “very fine people” hoax is one of the most persistent falsehoods in American politics. It is widely believed by Democrats and perpetuated by journalists, many of whom either are unaware of its inaccuracy or choose to let it go unchallenged.
This falsehood has been used to support various claims of racial bias against Trump, even though it was — and continues to be — untrue, regardless of how often Biden repeats it.
