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CLEVELAND: President Donald Trump deflected an opportunity to condemn white supremacists during the presidential debate on Tuesday (September 29), briefly telling a group to “stand back and stand by” before moving on to attack left-wing activists.
During a segment on race relations, moderator Chris Wallace asked Trump if he was willing to denounce “white supremacists and militia groups” and tell them to stand down, rather than increase the violence that has clouded anti-racism protests. in some American cities.
READ: Trump and Biden go on the attack in a chaotic and fiery first presidential debate
Several top federal officials, including the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security this month, have warned that white supremacist groups pose a growing threat of violence in the United States.
Trump initially responded Tuesday by blaming “the left” for the violence, before saying he was “willing to do anything.”
“Then do it, sir,” Wallace said, while Biden added, “Do it, say it.”
“What do you want to call them? Give me a name,” Trump said, prompting Biden to mention the Proud Boys, an organization that describes itself as a club of “Western chauvinists” but has been categorized as a group. hate for the non-profit organization. Southern Poverty Law Center.
“Proud guys, stand back and wait,” Trump said, before immediately turning. “But I’ll tell you what, someone has to do something with Antifa.”
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Antifa, which means anti-fascist, is a largely unstructured far-left movement whose followers generally aim to confront those they consider authoritarian or racist.
At least one Proud Boy organizer, Joe Biggs, celebrated the group’s mention on social media platform Parler, saying, “President Trump told the proud boys to wait because someone needs to deal with ANTIFA … well,! we’re ready! !! “according to screenshots posted by a New York Times reporter on Twitter.
Biden’s running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris, said on MSNBC after the debate: “What we saw was a dog hiss through a bull’s horn.”
Trump’s response also drew criticism from some social justice leaders.
Jonathan Greenblatt, executive director of the Anti-Defamation League, on Twitter called Trump’s response “astonishing.”
“Trying to determine if this was a response or an admission. @POTUS owes the United States an apology or an explanation. Now,” Greenblatt wrote, tagging Trump’s official presidential Twitter account.
Sister Simone Campbell, executive director of NETWORK Catholic Lobby for Social Justice, said in a statement: “I am appalled by President Trump’s refusal to condemn white nationalists.”
Biden has often said that he decided to run for president after white supremacists attacked counter-protesters in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017, and Trump said there were “good people on both sides.”
While Trump has tried to distance himself from that comment, he has also been accused of downplaying the threat from white supremacists, even as his own administration warned of the danger.
