President Donald Trump spoke Tuesday in support of the Covington Catholic High School students after they were unfairly accused of instigating a confrontation with leftist protestors in Washington, DC.
“Nick Sandmann and the students of Covington have become symbols of Fake News and how evil it can be,” Trump wrote on Twitter.
Covington student Nick Sandmann and his classmates were accused of mocking liberal Native American activist Nathan Phillips while wearing a Trump campaign Make America Great Again hat after the March for Life on Friday. The school announced Tuesday that it will be closed.
Prominent media figures and celebrities rushed to judgment on social media, vigorously condemning the behavior of the boys. Others expressed threats of violence and tried to expose their identities online.
Later video footage showed that Phillips was the one who approached Sandmann and his schoolmates, and he reacted calmly.
“I was not intentionally making faces at the protestor. I did smile at one point because I wanted him to know that I was not going to become angry, intimidated or be provoked into a larger confrontation. I am a faithful Christian and practicing Catholic, and I always try to live up to the ideals my faith teaches me – to remain respectful of others, and to take no action that would lead to conflict or violence,” Sandmann wrote later in a statement defending his reaction.
More video footage showed that the boys were shouting and leading school chants in response to members of the religious sect Black Hebrew Israelites, a black nationalist group who were taunting them with slurs and profanity.
The president expressed optimism that their case could be a teaching moment for the media and the rest of the country to wait for the facts before rushing to judgment.
“They have captivated the attention of the world, and I know they will use it for the good – maybe even to bring people together,” Trump wrote. “It started off unpleasant, but can end in a dream!”
Trump also weighed in on the case on Monday night, saying that they were “treated unfairly” and “smeared by the media.”
“Not good, but making big comeback!” he wrote.
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