Trump says 'Proud Boys' group should let law enforcement do its work

[webfact]

Trump says 'Proud Boys' group should let law enforcement do its work

By Jeff Mason

 

U.S. President Donald Trump approaches reporters as he departs on campaign travel to Minnesota from the South Lawn at the White House in Washington, U.S., September 30, 2020. REUTERS/Carlos Barria

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump said on Wednesday the "Proud Boys," an organization identified as a hate group, should "stand down" and let law enforcement take the lead, following comments he made in the first presidential debate that were viewed as emboldening the group.

 

"I don't know who the Proud Boys are," the Republican president told reporters at the White House before leaving for a campaign event. "They have to stand down. Let law enforcement do their work."

 

During his debate with Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden on Tuesday, Trump was asked if he was willing to denounce "white supremacists and militia groups" and tell them to stand down amid violence that has marred anti-racism protests in some U.S. cities.

 

Trump requested a specific name, and Biden mentioned the Proud Boys, an organization that describes itself as a club of "Western chauvinists" but has been categorized as a hate group by the nonprofit Southern Poverty Law Center.

 

"Proud Boys, stand back and stand by," Trump said. The comment drew wide criticism and was viewed by many to be a sign of encouragement to the group.

 

Republican U.S. Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina, who is Black, said Trump misspoke and called on him to correct his words.

 

Asked on Wednesday about denouncing white supremacist groups, Trump said he had always done so.

 

The president has a long history of making comments that his critics view as racist or as supportive of racist groups.

 

In 2017, he said "both sides" were to blame for violence between white supremacists and counter-protesters in Charlottesville, Virginia. He later sought to walk back the comments.

 

Trump called on Biden to condemn antifa, a largely unstructured, far-left movement whose followers broadly aim to confront those they view as authoritarian or racist.

 

(Reporting by Jeff Mason; Additional reporting by Makini Brice, Joseph Ax, and Richard Cowan; Editing by Peter Cooney)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-10-01

 

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[Chomper Higgot]

I see he’s ‘come down’.

[herfiehandbag]

He doesn't know who "the Proud Boys" are, but knows enough to use the quasi military we expression "stand down and stand by'!

 

Are his trousers smouldering?

[Eric Loh]

Too late for damage control. You blown it when given the chance. You just can’t raise to the occasion and your arrogance and recalcitrant attitude have consequences. 

[Baerboxer]

2 hours ago, Eric Loh said:

Too late for damage control. You blown it when given the chance. You just can’t raise to the occasion and your arrogance and recalcitrant attitude have consequences. 

 

I can't believe how anyone in America can be so naive or lack the education to see Trump for what he is. Bombastic, arrogant, ill mannered narcissistic - he behaves just like he did on reality TV. Whether someone agrees with his policies or not, the man's character and mannerisms are pretty predictable and rather unlikeable. 

 

Biden has been shown for have a temper, and Trump was definitely trying to goad and bully him to confuse him and make him loose his temper. The best retort, ignore him, laugh at him, and get your own message across. Biden spoke several times to "the American people" by addressing them looking straight into the camera. Trump never once did. 

 

 

 

[Emdog]

"I don't know who the Proud Boys are,"

Well, why the hell not? Assuming he is telling the truth (huge assumption)

Somehow Trump seems to think "not knowing" is an acceptable excuse... like "Nobody knew healthcare could be this difficult" etc

Maybe he can cite Constitution: nothing in it says president should have IQ above room temperature

[kamahele]

He is the President of the United States. He knows who this group is and what they represent but they are a part of his base....

[Sujo]

So lets get this straight. He doesnt know who they are.

 

The next day the most powerful man in the world still didnt think to ask who they are.

[natway09]

He better make very sure that his long peaked white cone hat  is well hidden

[Chomper Higgot]

5 hours ago, herfiehandbag said:

He doesn't know who "the Proud Boys" are, but knows enough to use the quasi military we expression "stand down and stand by'!

 

Are his trousers smouldering?

It’s Trump’s MO, he frequently denies knowing people with whom he has a relationship, if ever it’s in what he feels are his best interest.

 

https://www.businessinsider.com/people-trump-said-he-didnt-know-but-did-photos#lev-parnas-1

 

 

But it hardly matters, what does matter is an armed and violent extreme rightwing group have received instruction from Trump to ‘Stand By’.

 

 

 

[AgMech Cowboy]

6 hours ago, webfact said:

has been categorized as a hate group by the nonprofit Southern Poverty Law Center.

Say no more. The SPLC has been false labeling groups for years. When are they going to do the same for antifa?

[onebir]

5 hours ago, herfiehandbag said:

He doesn't know who "the Proud Boys" are, but knows enough to use the quasi military we expression "stand down and stand by'!

It was "stand back and stand by". Apparently quite a lot of people confuse "stand down" with "stand by". Much as I dislike Trump, having seen his lack of hesitation before uttering that phrase, I don't think he realised what he was saying. (Even a very stable genius needs a moment or two to twist words...)

[Morch]

26 minutes ago, AgMech Cowboy said:

Say no more. The SPLC has been false labeling groups for years. When are they going to do the same for antifa?

 

Do tell just how they've been 'false labeling' (whatever that means) and which groups were effected.

[Skeptic7]

Claiming ignorance as an excuse every time he is "caught out" and has to try to do self-damage control isn't a good strategy anymore. Never was. Fool us once shame on you. Think you're fooling us gagillion times...it's just called chronic lying and denying. 

 

BTW...Mr. Deflector-in-Chief doesn't have to pretend to be ignorant. It's his one true innate ability! 

[spidermike007]

Trump's greatest skill, is shooting himself in the foot daily. He sure knew who they were during the debate. Now, with international condemnation, a debate failure and a further drop in the polls, he attempts to walk it back. Too late Don. You have already inflicted maximum damage on yourself with that debate fiasco and you can't walk it back. The 73 interruptions were over the top, even for your stunningly undignified self. We know who and what you are. You will suffer a massive loss in November and you have yourself to blame. You are a one man wrecking crew. 

[TSF]

Not much of a choice really...Trump or dozy doddery old Joe who seems to be a couple of months away from Alzheimer's. 

[wwest5829]

8 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

Trump's greatest skill, is shooting himself in the foot daily. He sure knew who they were during the debate. Now, with international condemnation, a debate failure and a further drop in the polls, he attempts to walk it back. Too late Don. You have already inflicted maximum damage on yourself with that debate fiasco and you can't walk it back. The 73 interruptions were over the top, even for your stunningly undignified self. We know who and what you are. You will suffer a massive loss in November and you have yourself to blame. You are a one man wrecking crew. 

I can only hope my fellow American citizens vote overwhelming to remove The Donald and his ilk. Then I want to turn attention to dismiss the Democrats who have facilitated, along with the Republicans, the conditions brining on the justified frustration/anger within the working middle class. Until that underlying issue is addressed, the madness continues.

[Grusa]

4 hours ago, Emdog said:

"I don't know who the Proud Boys are,"

Well, why the hell not? Assuming he is telling the truth (huge assumption)

Somehow Trump seems to think "not knowing" is an acceptable excuse... like "Nobody knew healthcare could be this difficult" etc

Maybe he can cite Constitution: nothing in it says president should have IQ above room temperature

Is that Centigrade or Fahrenheit? It definitely isn't Absolute.

[3NUMBAS]

50 minutes ago, TSF said:

Not much of a choice really...Trump or dozy doddery old Joe who seems to be a couple of months away from Alzheimer's. 

the usual rotten selection of coffin dodgers  not fit to shovel s h i t  let alone be top man

[mthomsen111]

2 hours ago, Morch said:

 

No, that's not ok for others to sink that low. Nothing about that in my post. That's something you inject to the discussion. My point (repeated in one form or another) is that there is no real reason to give Trump a free pass. Focusing complaints on the general public, or Trump's opponents is not going to cut it. Maybe a way back, it was a legitimate point of view. I should know, as I expressed it often enough (hi, JT...). Things changed, it's simply irrelevant now to engage in such complaints without addressing the main culprit.

 

Because make no mistakes, the sort of low, toxic, childish and nasty rhetoric that sadly became the new normal - that's on Trump.

Well, no. No excuse to sink to Trump's level. It just vitiates any arguments one might be advancing. And, of course, if the abuse is all that there is to the argument, why bother? All the statistically well-designed polls that were taken in the wake of the debate - not those free-for-all surveys where anyone can vote - did show that Biden won. Had Biden checked his temper better, he would have had even more of a victory over Trump than he did.

[Morch]

4 minutes ago, mthomsen111 said:

Well, no. No excuse to sink to Trump's level. It just vitiates any arguments one might be advancing. And, of course, if the abuse is all that there is to the argument, why bother? All the statistically well-designed polls that were taken in the wake of the debate - not those free-for-all surveys where anyone can vote - did show that Biden won. Had Biden checked his temper better, he would have had even more of a victory over Trump than he did.

 

I've no idea Biden 'checking his temper' a bit more would have made much of a difference.

As for the rest of your post, it's all very well, and I kinda liked that 'when they go low, we go high' bit. But still, airing these sort of issues in a one sided manner, and all the more so when directed at the more well behaved side, is not very convincing anymore. Not unless it's accompanied by a clear stand and objection to the daily fare served by Trump & Co.

[Tug]

2 hours ago, Skeptic7 said:

Claiming ignorance as an excuse every time he is "caught out" and has to try to do self-damage control isn't a good strategy anymore. Never was. Fool us once shame on you. Think you're fooling us gagillion times...it's just called chronic lying and denying. 

 

BTW...Mr. Deflector-in-Chief doesn't have to pretend to be ignorant. It's his one true innate ability! 

Why would he denounce the proud boys they espouse his world view exactly misogyny check,chavunist check,immigrant hater check,Muslim hater check,they are his kinda people don’t be a rube he is what he is a privileged ignorant rasist old fool who has never had to suffer the consequences of his poor choices always shielded by wealth and now the mantle of the office of the president enough let’s rid ourselves of this parasite there may be a bit of violence in the process but it will be over quickly 

[onthedarkside]

A series of trolling posts, and replies to them, has been removed.

 

[Mick501]

11 hours ago, Chomper Higgot said:

I see he’s ‘come down’.

Unlike your comment, he was never hateful. Only spun out of context by the hateful left media, and swallowed by their hateful supporters.  Not too late for the Biden slogan to be changed to, "Keep on Hatin'!"

[Scott]

Off-topic, inflammatory posts and replies removed.  

[stevenl]

9 hours ago, Mick501 said:

Unlike your comment, he was never hateful. Only spun out of context by the hateful left media, and swallowed by their hateful supporters.  Not too late for the Biden slogan to be changed to, "Keep on Hatin'!"

There are not many moments he is not hateful or sowing division.

[Mick501]

2 hours ago, stevenl said:

There are not many moments he is not hateful or sowing division.

Nope, that's just you choosing to inform yourself by CNN.  If Yu actually listen to what he says instead of a 20 second sound bite, you opinion would not be so terribly incorrect.

[Fat is a type of crazy]

2 minutes ago, Mick501 said:

Nope, that's just you choosing to inform yourself by CNN.  If Yu actually listen to what he says instead of a 20 second sound bite, you opinion would not be so terribly incorrect.

Take the media out of the picture and just look at the words of Biden and the words and tweets of Trump. If you can say that Biden is the hater out of those two then good for you. Come on man. 

[Morch]

1 hour ago, Mick501 said:

Nope, that's just you choosing to inform yourself by CNN.  If Yu actually listen to what he says instead of a 20 second sound bite, you opinion would not be so terribly incorrect.

 

You actually believe people take such nonsense seriously? That all posters not into Trump worship base all their view on '20 second sound bites' courtesy of CNN. Watching the debate was a good example of Trump's style and views. Plenty of other direct quotes by the President posted on these topics over the last few years - many of them divisive, rude, false, antagonistic or 'just' controversial.

 

Denying this, denying he often makes such statements, or claiming posters are unaware of his views is false.

[stevenl]

9 minutes ago, Mick501 said:

Nope, that's just you choosing to inform yourself by CNN.  If Yu actually listen to what he says instead of a 20 second sound bite, you opinion would not be so terribly incorrect.

There lies a big part of the problem, he thinks and communicates in even shorter than 20 second soundbites. 

 

I know Xi, but who is Yu btw?