Transcript for Trump says students in viral confrontation 'were treated unfairly'

New developments in that viral confrontation that showed high school students face-to-face with a native American protester outside the Lincoln memorial. President trump is now backing up the students and ABC's erielle reshef is here with the story. Good morning, erielle. Reporter: Good morning to you, George. The story is still swirling on social media. Now the president sounding off defending those teens as you mentioned and the students' school facing new scrutiny. This morning, the president weighing in on the encounter that sparked a nationwide outcry. This video of Nick Sandmann and other teens from covington catholic many wearing make America great again hats in an apparent confrontation with a native American elder, Nathan Phillips. The president tweeting, looking like Nick Sandmann and covington catholic students were treated unfairly with early judgments proving out to be false smeared by the media. Not good but making big comeback many Phillips telling ABC news he still believes he was the victim. He initially told the media that sandman's fellow students were yelling build that wall but so far there is no evidence of those claims. I love my country. I respect the office of the president. To deny somebody freedom of speech is not a way to make America great. Reporter: In the days after that initial video drew online fury against the teens and their school leaders, additional video showing a separate group of protesters instigating tension with the students. Future school shooters. Reporter: Sandmann saying his peers asked permission to use school chants to counter the hateful things being shouted at the group. And defending his classmates and school. Phillips seen marching into the crowd, he says to defuse the situation. The reason I was in the middle of that is that it came to a point where somebody had to do something. Reporter: Overnight a series of images showing past covington high school students wearing blackface sparking new controversy. But people affiliated with the school point out that the video was filmed in 2011 during a blackout night for the basketball team where students were encouraged to wear black from head to toe. The video has since been deleted. The video going dark on the internet entirely pulling its Facebook page and its website. In a letter to parent, the school says it will hire independent investigators to examine what happened in Washington. In the meantime, an olive branch from Nathan Phillips who said he'd be willing to sit down with the kids in Kentucky and have a conversation about tolerance. Sounds like so much could have been avoided by having a conversation to begin with. The chaperones should have moved them away. When you look at the video it depends on which lens you're looking at and you have no idea unless you were there, you know, you had that one group that you said instigated. Did someone instigate that group? You have no idea. It's only the people there that truly know the truth. We'll see what happens. Thank you, erielle.

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