NBC Issues Correction Over Trump’s Robert E Lee Comments

by Jason Hopkins

NBC News has issued a correction over its reporting on President Donald Trump’s Civil War comments, acknowledging that the president did not actually describe Confederate General Robert E. Lee as “incredible.”

NBC News did not include Trump’s comments in full when it claimed Trump was calling Lee “incredible.” When looking at his comments just a few seconds sooner, it’s clear that the president was calling Ulysses S. Grant, the general of the Union army, incredible — not Lee.

“Ohio is the state that gave us a great president who hasn’t been properly recognized, OK? William McKinley has not been properly recognized. What he did in terms of trade, in terms of war, but in terms of trade — and I hate to say, in being smart in terms of tariffs, William McKinley has not been properly recognized. But maybe someday he will,” president Trump said during the Friday rally.”

“It also gave you a general who was incredible. He drank a little bit too much. You know who I’m talking about, right? So Robert E. Lee was a great general. And Abraham Lincoln Developed a phobia. He couldn’t beat Robert E. Lee. … They said ‘Don’t take him; he’s got a drinking problem.’ And Lincoln said, ‘I don’t care what problem he has. You guys aren’t winning.’ And his name was Grant, General Grant,” Trump explained.

The comments were in clear reference to Grant, a man who was born in Ohio and was known for his battles with alcoholism.

NBC’s correction comes after Trump skewered the network on Sunday morning for distorting his speech.

Sunday afternoon, President Trump thanked NBC News for correcting their obvious mistake.

Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org