President Trump said Tuesday that the students at Covington Catholic High School have become "symbols of Fake News" after being accused by the press of intimidating a Native American man at a rally in Washington, D.C.

Trump also slammed the media for its coverage of the encounter, which many said showed student Nick Sandmann and his peers mocking Nathan Phillips, the Native American man, in front of the Lincoln Memorial after the March for Life.

“Nick Sandmann and the students of Covington have become symbols of Fake News and how evil it can be. 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!” Trump wrote.



Nick Sandmann and the students of Covington have become symbols of Fake News and how evil it can be. 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! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 22, 2019



It’s the second statement Trump released defending Sandmann and his classmates against the media coverage of the incident. Trump said Monday they had been “smeared” by the media.

The confrontation between the students and Phillips went viral over the weekend, after many accused the students of being racist.

Additional video showed a group of demonstrators who called themselves members of the Black Hebrew Israelites, taunting and yelling at the students for wearing “Make America Great Again” hats. The original footage of the encounter did not include the Black Hebrew Israelites.