US President Donald Trump refused to directly condemn the white supremacist during US presidential debate on Tuesday, 29 September.
One of the topics of the 2020 US Presidential debate was anti-racism protests and civic unrest. Debate moderator Chris Wallace when asked Trump if he would condemn white supremacists and such as militias or far-right organizations, and not add to the “violence in a number of cities like Kenosha”.
Trump said ‘sure’, but he followed the answer by criticising the actions of the left-wing groups and activists.
“I’m willing to do that, but I would say almost everything I see is from the left-wing, not the right-wing.” US president said.
However, debate moderator Wallace pressed Trump to directly condemn white supremacists, eventually prompting the US president to name Proud Boys, a far-right group which is often associated with violent protests, reported The Guardian.
“Proud Boys, stand back and stand by. But I’ll tell you what, somebody’s got to do something about Antifa and the Left, ” said Trump.
According to The Guardian report, Antifa is a broad term which stands for anti-fascist groups but it is not a separate organization in any sense.
Trump’s comments come after the United States has seen months of Black Lives Matter protest, sparked by the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
(With inputs from The Guardian)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)