Trump Now Claims He Doesn’t Know Who Proud Boys Are After Explicitly Telling Them To ‘Stand By’

President Donald J. Trump shrugs while speaking with members of the coronavirus task force during a briefing on the COVID-19 pandemic in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House on Friday, April 10, ... President Donald J. Trump shrugs while speaking with members of the coronavirus task force during a briefing on the COVID-19 pandemic in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House on Friday, April 10, 2020. (Photo by Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images) MORE LESS
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President Donald Trump tried to walk back his shoutout to the far-right extremist group known as the Proud Boys on Wednesday by claiming he doesn’t know who they are–despite calling on them by name and telling them to “stand by” the night before.

“I don’t know who Proud Boys are,” Trump told reporters. “But whoever they are, they have to stand down and let law enforcement do their work.”

Then the President deflected by calling on his Democratic rival Joe Biden to “condemn” antifa, which Trump claimed to be “the real problem” even though antifa (short for “anti-fascist”) is a movement, not an organization.

When asked if he welcomed the way white supremacists openly embrace him, Trump wouldn’t answer directly and said only that he wanted “law and order” and ranted against the notion of defunding the police.

“But do you denounce [white supremacists]?” a reporter pressed.

“I’ve always denounced any form, any form, any form of any of that,” Trump replied, a patently false claim given his refusal to do so when asked during the Tuesday night presidential debate. Instead, the President had said: “Proud Boys, stand back and stand by.”

Additionally, he declined to condemn white supremacists after the 2017 Charlottesville neo-Nazi rally, describing them as “very fine people.”

Watch Trump below:

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Notable Replies

  1. “They just brought me coffee a few times.”

  2. No, it’s true, he’s often denounced such groups. Always after getting yelled at, but often.

  3. “But do you denounce [white supremacists]?” a reporter pressed.

    “I’ve always denounced any form, any form, any form of any of that,” Trump replied…

    “… except when it’s espoused by groups that I’ve never heard of before.”

  4. He can’t even say “white supremacists” (maybe it’s that word supremacist–too hard to pronounce!). He literally will not say “I denounce white supremacists.” He hems and haws, “any form of that” … of WHAT? Say it. Nope. Not gonna. Can’t make him.

  5. Avatar for j.dave j.dave says:

    His playbook only has one page.

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