Trump’s New Silicon Valley Supporters Really Want You to Forget He Called Nazis ‘Fine People’

Some of Donald Trump's biggest and newest supporters from concern and Silicon Valley, including Elon Musk and Bill Ackman, person spent the past respective weeks trying to whitewash comments the erstwhile president made successful narration to the Unite the Right rally successful Charlottesville successful 2017.

In the past week, the Harris campaign and President Joe Biden some highlighted Trump’s August 15, 2017 comment, erstwhile the erstwhile president said determination were “very good radical connected some sides” of the clashes that followed the Neo-Nazi rally successful Charlottesville.

For years, Trump supporters person defended his comments, claiming helium was speaking astir a non-existent radical of non-racist rally-goers who were determination conscionable to protestation the removal of a statue of Confederate wide Robert E. Lee.

While Trump did condemn the achromatic supremacists and Neo-Nazis who took portion successful the rally, those who covered the lawsuit person repeatedly pointed out that lone extremists were progressive successful the march, including members of the alt-right, achromatic nationalists, neo-Nazis, Klansmen, and far-right militias. Trump’s “fine people” comments were astatine champion misleading and astatine worst, tacit enactment for extremists, contempt his consequent disavowal. Trump has consistently been slammed by critics for his comments, but mendacious claims from Trump supporters person persisted. They resurfaced earlier this twelvemonth erstwhile a Snopes information check titled “No, Trump Did Not Call Neo-Nazis and White Supremacists 'Very Fine People.'” Snopes aboriginal added an editor’s note, clarifying that those covering the rally said it was “conceived of, led by and attended by achromatic supremacists, and that truthful Trump's characterization was wrong.”

But implicit the past fewer weeks, Trump’s supporters successful Silicon Valley and Wall Street—some of whom began officially supporting the erstwhile president pursuing his assassination effort past month—have besides tried to rewrite history.

David Marcus, the crypto entrepreneur and CEO of Lightspark who has been a Democratic Party protagonist for years, posted past period that helium was present backing Trump’s campaign.

In an X station past week that has been viewed 33 cardinal times, Marcus claimed that Trump’s “very good people” remark had been purposely taken retired of discourse by the media. “Realizing that this was and continues to beryllium a prevarication was a turning constituent for me,” Marcus wrote connected X, quoting a station from the authoritative Harris run relationship that marked the seven-year day since Trump made the comments.

In effect to Marcus’ post, Shaun Maguire, a spouse astatine task superior steadfast Sequoia Capital, wrote: “Totally agree.” Hours aft the assassination effort past month, Maguire said helium was donating $300,000 to the Trump campaign.

This wasn’t the archetypal clip Maguire had challenged what happened successful Charlottesville: In June, Maguire cited a station from disinformation relationship End Wokeness and wrote connected X: “Remember Charlottesville erstwhile Trump called neo-Nazis precise good people? I lone saw the afloat clip for the archetypal clip today. It’s a indispensable watch—he virtually CONDEMNS the Neo Nazis and achromatic nationalists.”

Elon Musk, who has been Silicon Valley’s loudest Trump protagonist successful the weeks since the attempted assassination, shared aggregate posts related to this. Musk shared Marcus’ station connected August 16, commenting: “Always presumption the root material.” Musk’s station has been viewed astir 30 cardinal times.