The row over President Trump’s stance on white supremacy and the Proud Boys rumbled into a third day on Thursday when his press secretary clashed with journalists about whether the White House could give an unambiguous condemnation of radical, far-right groups.
Kayleigh McEnany said the president had been clear in saying he had not previously heard of the Proud Boys, a self-proclaimed “Western chauvinist” men’s group known for violent confrontations with anti-fascists, when asked about them earlier in the week and pointed to past statements made by the president that condemn white supremacists.
But a month before the country goes to the polls after a summer marked by street clashes and Black Lives Matter protests, White House officials remain under pressure to explain the president’s position.
Critics accuse Trump of deploying vague language and repeatedly pivoting to attack left-wing groups rather than outfits such as the Proud Boys, who support him.
On Thursday, McEnany was asked by journalist John Roberts of Fox News to provide an unambiguous statement that the president denounced white supremacy in all its forms.
“This has been answered yesterday by the president himself, the day before by the president himself on the debate stage. The president was asked this. He said ‘sure’ three times,” McEnany said during a White House press briefing.
Social media erupted with Trump supporters saying she had answered the question. But plenty more posted messages wondering why she was relying on previous comments rather than offering a current position.
“I condemn white supremacy,” Democratic Sen. Brian Schatz of Hawaii tweeted. “Easy peasy.”
But for every example of that was another defending Trump and McEnany.
Benny Johnson, chief creative officer of Turning Point USA, wrote: “Why isn’t naming dozens of direct quotes of the president denouncing white supremacy specific enough for the media?”
The issue boiled over during Tuesday’s combative presidential debate when moderator Chris Wallace of Fox News asked the president if he would “condemn white supremacists and militia groups.”
Trump responded: “Sure, I’m willing to do that, but I would say … almost everything I see is from the left wing, not the right wing.”
He was given the example of the Proud Boys to denounce but called on them to “stand back and stand by,” sowing further confusion.
A day later, Trump was asked to clarify his comments.
“I don’t know who Proud Boys are. But whoever they are, they have to stand down. Let law enforcement do their work,” he told reporters.
His debate comments were celebrated by the group. Hundreds of supporters posted messages with “Stand Back” and “Stand By” on social media.
Even reliable defenders of the president expressed concern. Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina called on Trump to “make it clear Proud Boys is a racist organization antithetical to American ideals.”
As a result, the issue dominated the briefing room on Thursday, but McEnany accused reporters of lobbing “partisan attack questions.”
“The president specifically, verbatim, was asked yesterday: ‘White supremacy, do you denounce them?’ To which he responded: ‘I have always denounced any form of that,’” she said.
She also referred to a statement made by the president last year following a mass shooting in El Paso, Texas.
“In one voice, our nation must condemn racism, bigotry, and white supremacy,” he said at the time. “These sinister ideologies must be defeated. Hate has no place in America.“
