--- title: Joe Biden: Donald Trump "Emboldened" White Supremacists description: Former Vice President Joe Biden strongly rebuked President Trump's response to Charlottesville, urging Americans to take action canonical: https://time.com/4917524/joe-biden-trump-charlottesville-response/ author: Alana Abramson article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-08-27T18:08:50.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-08T09:31:23.520Z article:section: Politics og:title: 'A Battle for the Soul of This Nation.' Joe Biden Tears Into President Trump's Charlottesville Response og:description: "You, me, and the citizens of this country carry a special burden in 2017" og:url: https://time.com/4917524/joe-biden-trump-charlottesville-response/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltcdfa63d5208b1488/6988d1230a4a220b919ce911/joe-biden-mitt-romney-senate-utah.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3000 og:image:height: 1688 og:image:alt: Concordia Europe Summit - Day 2 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: 'A Battle for the Soul of This Nation.' Joe Biden Tears Into President Trump's Charlottesville Response twitter:description: "You, me, and the citizens of this country carry a special burden in 2017" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltcdfa63d5208b1488/6988d1230a4a220b919ce911/joe-biden-mitt-romney-senate-utah.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # 'A Battle for the Soul of This Nation.' Joe Biden Tears Into President Trump's Charlottesville Response > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. 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It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=6e1fa8c1-d048-4da9-93f8-2bec9b2747e1&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: President Trump Again Blames 'Both Sides' for Charlottesville Violence [Watch (HLS stream): President Trump Again Blames 'Both Sides' for Charlottesville Violence](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/EzwfOun0.m3u8) (1:32)  _Published 2017-08-15. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that anti-racism protesters bear some of the blame for the violent rallies in Charlottesville, returning to his original comments that "both sides" were responsible for the deadly clashes._  by [Alana Abramson](https://time.com/author/alana-abramson/)  ## Alana Abramson Aug 27, 2017 6:08 PM UTC President Donald Trump said Tuesday that anti-racism protesters bear some of the blame for the violent rallies in Charlottesville, returning to his original comments that "both sides" were responsible for the deadly clashes.  by [Alana Abramson](https://time.com/author/alana-abramson/)  ## Alana Abramson Aug 27, 2017 6:08 PM UTC [Former Vice President Joe Biden](http://time.com/4834609/joe-biden-lifeguard-internet-reactions/) strongly rebuked President Trump’s response to the events in Charlottesville, Va.[ in an op-ed Sunday,](https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/08/joe-biden-after-charlottesville/538128/?utm%5Fsource=newsletter&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fcampaign=newsletter%5Faxiosam&stream=top-stories) urging Americans to fight for what he characterized as “a battle for the soul of this nation.” While [Biden](http://time.com/4832740/biden-cancer-initiative-research/) acknowledged that America has fought white supremacists before, he argued that the current situation feels different because of President Trump’s hesitancy to condemn these groups. Trump came under near-universal criticism from both sides of the aisle for refusing to rebuke white supremacists in the immediate aftermath of the Charlottesville attack, when a white supremacist rammed his car into a crowd of counter-protesters at a white nationalist rally, killing one woman and inuring at least dozen others. “Today we have an American president who has publicly proclaimed a moral equivalency between neo-Nazis and Klansmen and those who would oppose their venom and hate. We have an American president who has emboldened white supremacists with messages of comfort and support,” Biden [wrote in the _Atlantic_ Sunday.](https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/08/joe-biden-after-charlottesville/538128/?utm%5Fsource=newsletter&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fcampaign=newsletter%5Faxiosam&stream=top-stories) “This is a moment for this nation to declare what the president can’t with any clarity, consistency, or conviction: There is no place for these hate groups in America.” Biden also criticized the president’s decision to pardon [Joe Arpaio](http://time.com/4916920/donald-trump-pardons-joe-arpaio/), arguing that the former Arizona Sheriff “terrorized the Latino community.” But, ultimately, Biden expressed optimism the nation would prevail. “Joined together, we will win this battle for our soul,” he wrote. “Because if there’s one thing I know about the American people, it’s this: When it has mattered most, they have never let this nation down.” ## Transcript I've condemned neo- Nazis, I've condemned many different groups, but not all of those people were neo- Nazis, believe me. Not all of those people were white supremacists. I think there's blame on both sides. You look at both sides I think there's blame on both sides, and I have no doubt about it. What about the alt- left? They came charging, as you say, at the alt- right. Do they have any semblance of guilt? [ CROSSTALK ]. Let me ask you this, what about the fact they came charging with clubs in their hands, swinging clubs, Do they have any problem? I think they do. There was a group on this side, you can call them the left, you've just called them the left, that came violently attacking the other group. So you can say what you want, but that's they way it is. You had people in that group that were there to protest the taking down, to them, a very, very important statue, And the renaming of a park from Robert E. Lee to another name . >> [ UNKNOWN ] George Washington was a slave owner. Was George Washington a slave owner? So, will George Washington now lose his status? Excuse me. Are we going to take down statues to George Washington How about Thomas Jefferson? What do you think about Thomas Jefferson? You like him? I do love Thomas Jefferson. Okay good. Are we gonna take down the statue? Cuz he was a major slave owner. Now are we gonna take down his statue? So you know what? It's fine. You're changing history. You're changing culture. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4917524/joe-biden-trump-charlottesville-response/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4917524/joe-biden-trump-charlottesville-response/"},"headline":"'A Battle for the Soul of This Nation.' 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