President Trump claimed Wednesday that he’d never heard of the Proud Boys, a day after saying that the far-right extremist group should “stand back and stand by.” “I don’t know who the Proud Boys are,” Trump said as he left D.C. for Minnesota. “Whoever they are they have to stand down. Let law enforcement do their work... antifa is a real problem because the problem is on the left.”
In yesterday’s debate, Trump repeatedly refused to condemn white supremacists when asked by moderator Chris Wallace if he would tell them and militia groups to stand down amid violence in places like Kenosha and Portland. “Who would you like me to condemn? The Proud Boys? Stand back and stand by. But I’ll tell you what, I’ll tell you what. Somebody’s gotta do something about antifa and the left, because this is not a right-wing problem,” Trump said. Several Proud Boys interpreted the remark as permission to potentially incite violence.
