President Trump declared Tuesday that Covington Catholic High School students at the center of a national controversy are now “symbols of Fake News.”
“Nick Sandmann and the students of Covington have become symbols of Fake News and how evil it can be,” the president tweeted. “They have captivated the attention of the world, and I know they will use it for the good - maybe even to bring people together. It started off unpleasant, but can end in a dream!”
A video that appeared to show the Kentucky students mocking a Native American elder, Nathan Phillips, after the March For Life rally went viral over the weekend and drew harsh criticism.
The Diocese of Covington released a public apology for the incident and launched an investigation into the matter.
A longer video surfaced on Sunday that showed the students were first insulted by another protest group and then were approached by Mr. Phillips.
Nick Sandmann, the student seen staring at Mr. Phillips in the videos, disputed the narrative building around the incident in a statement released late Sunday. According to his version of events, he was trying to diffuse the situation by standing still, but he wasn’t trying to block Mr. Phillips.
Mr. Sandmann said he and his family have received death threats since the videos went viral.
The president first weighed in on the situation Monday night, saying the students were “smeared by the media.”
• Gabriella Muñoz can be reached at gmunoz@washingtontimes.com.
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