United States President Donald Trump today tried to walk back his refusal to outright condemn a far-right fascist group during his debate with Democrat Joe Biden.
But the inflammatory moment was far from the first time the President has failed to denounce white supremacists or has advanced racist ideas.
Trump's initial refusal to criticise the Proud Boys — instead saying the group should "stand back and stand by" — drew fierce blowback before he altered his message in a day-later effort to quell the firestorm.
"I don't know who Proud Boys are. But whoever they are they have to stand down, let law enforcement do their work," Trump told reporters as he left the White House for a campaign stop in Minnesota.
From 9 p.m. to midnight, the Biden campaign brought in nearly $10 million from 215,000 donors, including more than 60,000 new contributors.
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) September 30, 2020
Nearly 100,000 signed up to volunteer for the Biden campaign during the debate.https://t.co/dWlQHjhsEr
The new flare-up over Trump's messaging on race was playing out just weeks before the election, leaving the President to play defence on yet another issue when he's already facing criticism of his handling of the coronavirus pandemic and under new scrutiny over his taxes.
And even after saying the Proud Boys should "stand down," Trump went on call out forces on the other end of the political spectrum and tried to attack Biden.
It was an echo of the way he had blamed "both sides" for the 2017 violence between white supremacists and anti-racist protesters in Charlottesville, Virginia.
"Now antifa is a real problem," Trump said. "The problem is on the left. And Biden refuses to talk about it."
"For him to ask them to stand down gives credence to them,” says Democratic Rep. James Clyburn about President Trump’s refusal to denounce the Proud Boys, a far-right group. “I’m still waiting on this man to denounce white supremacy, not just the Proud Boys.” pic.twitter.com/qUXeXTb3nk
— OutFrontCNN (@OutFrontCNN) September 30, 2020
In fact, FBI Director Christopher Wray told a congressional panel last week that it was white supremacists and anti-government extremists who have been responsible for most of the recent deadly attacks by extremist groups in the US.
Proud Boys leaders and supporters took to social media to celebrate the President's comments at the debate, with more than 5000 of the group's members posting "Stand Back" and "Stand By" above and below the group's logo.
And when Trump was directly asked today if he "would welcome white supremacist support," he ignored the question and again stressed the need for "law and order."
Here's what independent voters thought of Trump and Biden's debate performances.
— The ReidOut (@thereidout) September 30, 2020
Us at the Trump one: 👁👄👁#TheReidOut pic.twitter.com/FmDoWGZsgY
Trump built his political career on the back of the racist lie of birtherism — the false claim that Barack Obama was not born in the United States — and his business and political lives have long featured racial rhetoric and inflammatory actions.
The President has rarely condemned white supremacists when not pressed to do so, and his refusal to criticise the fascist group was denounced by Democrats today.
"My message to the Proud Boys and every other white supremacist group is cease and desist," Biden said during a post-debate train tour through Ohio and Pennsylvania.
"That's not who we are. That's not who we are as Americans."
Analysis: A reminder of how badly Trump needed to have the good debate that he didn’t https://t.co/OMLZMsIf7W
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) September 30, 2020
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer pressed his Republican colleagues: "How are you not embarrassed that President Trump represents your party? How can you possibly, possibly, support anyone who behaves this way?"
In an ugly debate marked by angry interruptions and bitter asides, Trump's remarks about the Proud Boys stood out.
He was asked by moderator Chris Wallace of Fox News if he would "be willing tonight to condemn white supremacists and militia groups" and demand that they "stand down" and not add to the violence that has erupted in places like Portland, Oregon, and Kenosha, Wisconsin.
Not knowing who the Proud Boys are, or pretending you don't, is a national security issue for someone in power.
— Ben Collins (@oneunderscore__) September 30, 2020
Far-right extremists like white supremacists killed far more than other murderous groups in 2019, 76 percent of all extremist-related murders.https://t.co/7ZgGbiw4r1
The President said "sure," but did not offer any actual words of condemnation, instead pivoting to blame the violence on left-wing radicals like antifa supporters.
When pushed by Wallace, Trump asked for the name of a group to condemn — and Biden suggested Proud Boys.
"Proud Boys, stand back and stand by," Trump said.
Few Republicans publicly commented upon the President's remarks and fewer still criticised them.
New for @VanityFair: Why many anti-Trump ads might be backfiring, turning off persuadable voters and Democrats need in November. A group of Democratic operatives are trying to fix that -- by testing which ads actually work beyond Twitter and cable news https://t.co/ZsOwsx0qgk
— Peter Hamby (@PeterHamby) September 29, 2020
House leader Kevin McCarthy insisted Trump did agree when asked if he would condemn the groups, and the California Republican sought to equate the white nationalist groups and the KKK with extremists like antifa.
Senator Mike Rounds went only so far as to say, "I was hoping for more clarity."
Senator Tim Scott said he believed Trump "misspoke."
"He should correct it," Scott added. "If he doesn't correct it I guess he didn't misspeak."
Biden called Trump a "racist" during the debate.
“Strategically, Biden should have said ‘I want fact-checkers on stage… and if you won’t do it I simply won’t participate.’”
— BBC Newsnight (@BBCNewsnight) September 30, 2020
Republican pollster @FrankLuntz says “American people want accountability, trusts and facts”
#Newsnight pic.twitter.com/72UO7cFuDu
It's a charge that has dogged Trump since his early days as a developer, when he called for the death penalty for the Central Park Five — a group of black men accused of rape but later cleared — and when he fought charges of bias against blacks seeking to rent at his family-owned apartment complexes.
He became a star in the Republican field after promoting the racist idea that Obama wasn't born in the US.
And earlier this year, he briefly wondered if Biden running mate Senator Kamala Harris, whose mother was Indian and father is Jamaican, was eligible to serve as vice-president.
The Proud Boys Got A Bunch Of New Followers After Trump Said To “Stand By”
— Christopher Miller (@ChristopherJM) September 30, 2020
Hundreds of new people have flooded the forums the white nationalist group uses to organize.@JaneLytv and I have the story for @BuzzFeedNews: https://t.co/hCaMMrdzK3
There have been any number of other troublesome moments in recent years:
In his first moments as a presidential candidate, Trump suggested Mexicans were "rapists."
He proposed temporarily banning Muslims from the United States.
He retweeted posts from accounts that appeared to have ties to white nationalist groups.
He was slow to reject the endorsement of former KKK leader David Duke.
And, perhaps most notably, he blamed "both sides" for the violence in Charlottesville that left an anti-racist demonstrator dead.
The polls tell a pretty clear story at this point: Biden isn't home-free, but he’s in a strong position. But Trump's anti-democractic rhetoric complicates the picture: https://t.co/XMeAQ5fOcb
— FiveThirtyEight (@FiveThirtyEight) September 30, 2020
The debate left some Black Americans dismayed.
"I think he has continued to embolden white supremacists," said Anne Susen, a 60-year-old out-of-work antiques dealer who lives just outside Charlottesville.
"He just wants to sow the seeds of division in this country."
Tori Silver, 22, said there was "no excuse" for Trump not immediately disavowing white supremacist groups.
NEW: Biden condemns Proud Boys: "My message to the Proud Boys and every other white supremacist organization is: Cease and desist."https://t.co/mbI7Q8y5EC
— Axios (@axios) September 30, 2020
"It's kind of like, wow, what is that saying to me as a black man?" Silver said outside the Albemarle County, Virginia, office where he voted for Biden.
Proud Boys members are ardent Trump supporters known for their violent confrontations with antifascists and other ideological opponents at protests, often drawing the largest crowds in the Pacific Northwest.
Members have been spotted at various Trump rallies, including earlier this month in Nevada.
Joe Biden greets the largest crowd he has likely seen since March as he exits the train station in Greensburg, Pennsylvania pic.twitter.com/uBmc6jXoKf
— Tyler Pager (@tylerpager) September 30, 2020
In 2018, police arrested several Proud Boys members and associates who brawled with antifascists after the group's founder, Gavin McInnes, delivered a speech at New York's Metropolitan Republican Club.
McInnes, who co-founded Vice Media, has described the group as a politically incorrect men's club for "Western chauvinists" and denies affiliations with far-right extremist groups that overtly espouse racist and anti-Semitic views.
Roger Stone—his oldest political advisor, constant phone companion, self described conduit to wikileaks, and recipient of a presidential reprieve—is thick as thieves with the proud boys. Trump knows who the proud boys are. https://t.co/CGifXemnSj
— southpaw (@nycsouthpaw) September 30, 2020
McInnes sued the Southern Poverty Law Centre last year, claiming it defamed him when it designated the Proud Boys as a "hate group."
In response to the federal suit, which is still pending in Alabama, the law centre said McInnes has acknowledged an "overlap" between the Proud Boys and white nationalist groups.
"Indeed, Proud Boys members have posted social media pictures of themselves with prominent Holocaust deniers, white nationalists, and known neo-Nazis," law center lawyers wrote in a court filing.
- AP
It comes after the US recently struck nuclear sites in Iran.