President Donald Trump offered praise of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee on Friday when asked about the deadly Charlottesville riots of 2017.
Before Trump boarded Marine One on the White House lawn, a reporter asked if he stood by his comments that there were "very fine people on both sides" in Charlottesville, which saw groups of protesters clash.
"I was talking about people that went because they felt very strongly about the monument to Robert E. Lee, a great general. Whether you like it or not, he was one of the great generals," Trump said.
"I have spoken to many generals here, right at the White House, and many people thought — of the generals, they think that he was maybe their favorite general."
Trump pointed out that the protesters at the August 11-12, 2017 Unite the Right Rally were there, at least in part, to show their disapproval of removing a statue of Lee from a city park. One woman was killed after a man drove his car through a crowd.
"People were there protesting the taking down of the monument of Robert E. Lee. Everybody knows that," Trump said.
Trump was criticized for not taking a stronger stand against the white supremacist protesters in Charlottesville but later signed a resolution that condemned white supremacists, neo-Nazis, and other hate groups.
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