President Donald Trump denied knowledge of the right-wing Proud Boys group on Wednesday but said they should stand down and let law enforcement battle Antifa groups.
“I don’t know who the Proud Boys are, I mean you have to give me a definition,” Trump told reporters on Wednesday afternoon as he left the White House for Minnesota. “Because I really don’t know who they are. I can only say they have to stand down, let law enforcement do their work.”
During the debate, former Vice President Joe Biden and debate moderator Chris Wallace asked the president to denounce the group.
Leftist Democrats and corporate media seized on Trump’s comments urging the group to “stand down and stand by” suggesting that the president was endorsing the group and promoting violence after the election.
When reporters asked him what he meant by stand by, Trump repeated that he wanted law enforcement to handle the violent left.
“I want law and order to be a very important part, it’s a very important part of my campaign,” Trump continued. “And when I say that, what I’m talking about is law enforcement, police have to take care.”
Trump repeated that Biden had to condemn Antifa.
“These are people that hit people over the head with baseball bats,” he said.