YouTube/Twitter Nick Sandmann in 2019 (left) in a screengrab of the viral video and (right) with Donald Trump Jr.
Nicholas Sandmann, the teenager who was involved in a viral incident in early 2019, is in the lineup of speakers for the second night of the Republican National Convention. He tweeted about his inclusion on August 18, writing, “I can’t tell you all enough about how excited I am to be [a part] of this year’s RNC!”
Sandmann was a junior at Covington Catholic High School in Kentucky at the time of the viral incident. The teenager, who recently turned 18 years old, graduated from high school this year, receiving a scholarship for college, which he is planning on attending in the fall.
He posted about his graduation in May:
Very excited to say I will be graduating!
After being told I would never get into college and my life was done, I’ll be going to an amazing school on a scholarship! Don’t back down and keep winning!
Sandmann wrote, “Very excited to say I will be graduating! After being told I would never get into college and my life was done, I’ll be going to an amazing school on a scholarship! Don’t back down and keep winning!”
Sandmann’s full remarks at the RNC are below, courtesy of The Hill’s Twitter account:
WATCH: Nick Sandmann’s full remarks at #RepublicanConvention: “Canceled is what’s happening to people around this country who refuse to be silenced by the far left. Many are being fired, humiliated, or even threatened.”
Sandmann Became Well-Known in Early 2019 After a Video Went Viral of a Confrontation With Native American Protestors & the Teen Recently Settled Defamation Lawsuits With Media Outlets
Met some wonderful people today before my RNC speech tonight!
On January 18, 2019, videos went viral showing Sandmann and fellow students at Covington Catholic High School in a face-to-face confrontation with Native American protestors, Fox News reported. Sandmann and his classmates were gathered at the steps of the Lincoln Memorial to participate in the March for Life at the same time that the Indigenous Peoples’ Day March was concluding in Washington, D.C.
Many media outlets painted Sandmann and his classmates, many of whom were wearing “Make America Great Again” hats, as the instigators, while Sandmann said they were attempting to diffuse the situation. As Fox News pointed out, Sandmann sued CNN and the Washington Post for defamation in their coverage of the incident and both suits were recently settled.
In an interview in April 2020, Sandmann told Fox News that since the incident, he is sometimes recognized and is always worried someone will confront him. “From in my community to different parts of the country. Everywhere I go, there is someone that will point me out,” he said. “It’s a constant threat and it’s a terrible threat. But you can’t choose to live your life in fear or they’ve won and they robbed you of your life.”
Sandmann, Who Is Set to Attend Transylvania University in Kentucky, Announced His Lawsuit’s Settlement on His 18th Birthday
In January 2020, Sandmann’s attorney Todd McMurtry told WLWT that the teen’s goal is to attend Transylvania University and is interested in pursuing law. “He’s a smart young man and would make a fine attorney,” McMurtry told the outlet at the time.
It appears as though he will be attending Transylvania University, in Lexington, Kentucky, as Sandmann’s Twitter bio now has the university’s initials alongside the graduating year of 2024, next to his high school’s initials and the number 20. He also indicated in his Twitter bio that he is the “Transylvania College Republicans Comms Director.”
The RNC speaker recently turned 18, posting on Twitter on July 24 that the lawsuit with the Washington Post was had been settled and that he’d also turned 18. “On 2/19/19, I filed $250M defamation lawsuit against Washington Post,” he posted. “Today, I turned 18 & WaPo settled my lawsuit. Thanks to @ToddMcMurtry & @LLinWood for their advocacy. Thanks to my family & millions of you who have stood your ground by supporting me. I still have more to do.”
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