Trump: Covington Catholic students ‘treated unfairly’ and ‘smeared by media’

President Trump issued his first public statement Monday on the viral encounter between white teenagers wearing “Make America Great Again” hats and a Native American elder last week on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.

After Fox News’ Tucker Carlson ran a segment on the “rush to judgment” on the short clip that started the controversy, Trump offered words of support for Nick Sandmann and his peers from Kentucky’s Covington Catholic High School.

“Looking like Nick [sic] Sandman & Covington Catholic students were treated unfairly with early judgements proving out to be false – smeared by media. Not good, but making big comeback! ‘New footage shows that media was wrong about teen’s encounter with Native American,'” Trump tweeted.

In the initial short clip of the incident, Sandmann, who identified himself on Sunday, can be seen standing in front of the Native American elder, Nathan Phillips, on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial as Phillips sings and beats on a drum. Other young people standing close by can be seen encircling Phillips and the student.

In response to the widespread media coverage, lawmakers, Native-American leaders, and the Diocese of Covington and Covington Catholic High School were quick to condemn Sandmann’s behavior. The school announced it was investigating the situation and said he could be expelled.

However, on Sunday, a longer video surfaced that showed that Phillips was the one to approach the teenagers, taking a left on a landing along the stairway up the Lincoln Memorial and walking directly into the throng of students. Furthermore, video shows that long before Phillips arrived on the scene, a small group of Black Hebrew Israelites were nearby yelling obscenities at passersby, including the students who would eventually crowd the area.

Several conservative members of the media, and others, walked back their initial condemnation of the Covington Catholic High School students after the longer video emerged.

Some critics have remained steadfast in their condemnation, pointing out that some of the boys did a “tomahawk chop” and joined in on the chant.

In interviews since the Friday encounter, Phillip, who was in town for the Indigenous Peoples March, said he approached the teens after he saw tensions bubbling over between the younger crowd that was there for the anti-abortion March for Life rally and the nearby Black Hebrew Israelites.

“Look at my America. Look at my black and white brothers here. They’re tearing at each other. We are at a point where you can’t stand by and watch this,” Phillips told MSNBC.

In a statement Sunday, Sandmann said he and his family have received death threats after the incident.

“Because we were being loudly attacked and taunted in public, a student in our group asked one of our teacher chaperones for permission to begin our school spirit chants to counter the hateful things that were being shouted at our group,” Sandmann wrote. “We would not have done that without obtaining permission from the adults in charge of our group.”

“I was not intentionally making faces at the protester. I did smile at one point because I wanted him to know that I was not going to become angry, intimidated or be provoked into a larger confrontation,” he said. “I harbor no ill will for this person. I respect this person’s right to protest and engage in free speech activities, and I support his chanting on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial any day of the week. I believe he should re-think his tactics of invading the personal space of others, but that is his choice to make.”