Trump responds to “Proud Boys” criticism

White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany on Thursday said President Donald Trump has always denounced white supremacy. “I don’t know who the Proud Boys are,” Trump told reporters Wednesday before leaving for a campaign event in Minnesota. “I can only say they have to stand down, let law enforcement do their work.”

Where did that come from? During Tuesday’s debate with Democratic nominee Joe Biden, moderator Chris Wallace asked Trump to condemn white supremacy and a nationalist, men-only group called the Proud Boys. His critics and some congressional Republicans said the president failed to answer clearly. “I think the president misspoke, and he needs to correct it,” said Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C. Fellow South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham agreed, calling the Proud Boys “a racist organization antithetical to American ideals.”

Dig deeper: Emily Belz didn’t know who Proud Boys were, either, when they grabbed media attention in 2018. Read her report on the group here.