“I don’t know much about the Proud Boys but I condemn it,” Trump said.
President Donald Trump said Thursday he condemned all white supremacists, including the “Proud Boys,” an organization identified as a hate group, following comments he made during the first presidential debate earlier this year. week which were seen as emboldening the group.
“I condemn all white supremacists, I condemn the Proud Boys. I don’t know much about the Proud Boys but I condemn it,” Trump told Fox News in an interview.
During his debate with Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden on Tuesday, Trump was asked if he was prepared to denounce “white supremacists and militias” and tell them to withdraw amid the violence that has marred protests against racism in some American cities.
Trump asked for a specific name, and Biden mentioned the Proud Boys, an organization that describes itself as a “western chauvinist” club but has been classified as a hate group by the nonprofit Southern Poverty Law Center.
“Proud Boys, take a step back and stay away,” Trump said. The comment drew widespread criticism and was seen by many as a sign of encouragement for the group.
Republican U.S. Senator Tim Scott, of South Carolina, who is black, said Trump misspoke and called on him to correct his comments.
Trump told reporters at the White House on Wednesday, “I don’t know who the Proud Boys are,” adding, “They have to step back. Let law enforcement do their job.”
The president has a long history of comments that his critics regard as racist or in favor of racist groups.
In 2017, he said “both sides” were responsible for the violence between white supremacists and counter-protesters in Charlottesville, Virginia. He then sought to revisit the comments.
Trump called on Biden to condemn the antifa, a largely unstructured far-left movement whose supporters largely aim to confront those they see as authoritarian or racist.
(This story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
