Trump faces backlash for saying Charlottesville rally was 'nothing compared' to pro-Palestinian protests

MANHATTAN, NEW YORK: Former President Donald Trump caused controversy on a social media platform, X (formerly Twitter), by claiming that pro-Palestinian demonstrations on university campuses were bigger than the Charlottesville rally in 2017.

Trump faced criticism when reports revealed that his campaign team and four associated PACs were using a GOP compliance firm to manage legal expenses. The reports suggested a lack of transparency about who receives the millions of dollars for legal payments.

Donald Trump compares recent pro-Palestinian protests to Charlottesville rally

According to Al Jazeera, Trump recently stirred the pot by claiming that the pro-Palestinian protests on college campuses are brimming with more hate than the notorious 2017 white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Trump dropped these bombshell comments while chatting with reporters outside his hush-money trial in New York City last Thursday. He said, "We’re having protests all over. Charlottesville was a little peanut, and it was nothing compared – and the hate wasn’t the kind of hate that you have here, this is tremendous hate."

He boldly compared the Unite the Right rally to the student demonstrations against the Gaza war, insisting that the latter harbored way more animosity.

And if that wasn’t enough drama, Trump took to Truth Social the day before, firing shots at Joe Biden and proclaiming, "Crooked Joe Biden would say, constantly, that he ran because of Charlottesville. Well, if that’s the case, he’s done a really terrible job because Charlottesville is like a “peanut” compared to the riots and anti-Israel protests that are happening all over our Country, RIGHT NOW….And it’s Crooked’s fault because he sends the wrong message every single time. The fact is that Crooked Joe Biden HATES Israel and Hates the Jewish people. The problem is that he HATES the Palestinians even more, and he just doesn’t know what to do!?!?"

Al Jazeera vividly recounted the Charlottesville debacle of August 11, 2017, a scene straight out of a nightmare where white supremacists flooded the streets to oppose the removal of a statue honoring Confederate General Robert E Lee. Their rallying cries echoed with chilling chants of “You will not replace us!” and “Jews will not replace us!”

The next day, chaos erupted when James Alex Fields Jr, a self-proclaimed white supremacist, plowed his car into a crowd of counterprotesters, tragically taking the life of Heather Heyer. Trump’s response, blaming "both sides," stirred up its storm of criticism, as Al Jazeera reports.

Fast forward to last weekend, when footage started circulating on social media showing activists hurling insults at students, from telling them to “go back to Poland” to referencing the Israel attacks on October 7 that claimed many lives.

Chabad at Columbia University reported offensive remarks directed at Jewish students, like “You have no culture,” “All you do is colonize,” and “Go back to Europe.” In response, a group of student activists representing the protesters issued a statement condemning hate and bigotry, according to Al Jazeera.

Internet users call Donald Trump a 'racist'

A user wrote, "It was a nothing. The sentence right after that was "and I don't mean the White Supremacists!" but you always seem to leave that line out. You have gone to far with the propaganda and the people are starting to wake up. This is the result:"

Another user wrote, "You’re still trying to push this? Desperation called, it said you’re pathetic and you should quit pandering."

A user commented, "Trump is the son of a KKK member. This is not a secret. Trump is a racist - this is not a secret. Trump wants to outwardly support white supremacy but knows it will cost him votes and supporters money."

Another user commented, "Go say that to union workers and see how they react. Or hide behind your computer as a persona."

A user stated, "This comment was made during a speech where Trump denounced white supremacy groups but wanted to acknowledge that not all protesters belonged to extreme groups. This has been taken out of context for years and has been debunked over and over."

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.