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White nationalists celebrate Trump press conference: ‘I was fist pumping!!’

His "both sides" message empowered the wrong people.

CREDIT: AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais
CREDIT: AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais

During a press conference on infrastructure at Trump Tower Tuesday, President Trump’s remarks veered into dubious territory when he remarked on the events that took place at Charlottesville, Virginia over the weekend — and white nationalists across the internet cheered.

Trump, who hadn’t advised the press he would be taking any questions, espoused the same “both sides” rhetoric he did during his initial statement on Saturday, while also stating there were some “very fine people” among the neo-Nazi protesters.

White nationalists, empowered by his message, took to the web to celebrate.

Many posted their thoughts on a social media site called Gab, nicknamed the “Twitter for the alt-right.”

“THIS is more like it!” one user wrote. Wrote another, “Trump came through for us.”

On Twitter, prominent white supremacists like user Baked Alaska and former Grand Wizard of the KKK David Duke, both bolstered by Trump’s “both sides” rhetoric, praised the president.

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“Thank you President Trump for condemning the alt-left antifa thugs who attacked us in Charlottesville,” Baked Alaska tweeted. On his own account, Duke also thanked Trump for his “honesty & courage.”