Presidential debate moderator Chris Wallace devoted more time and forceful questioning, directed at President Trump, about white supremacy’s role in sparking riots across America, than antifa and Black Lives Matter’s already well-documented role.
Wallace pressed Trump forcefully to condemn white supremacists a total of six times Tuesday night but did not once ask former Vice President Joe Biden to condemn violence from antifa or Black Lives Matter. BLM was mentioned only once, when Wallace asked Biden if he supports the group, which Biden acknowledged that he does.
“You have repeatedly criticized the vice president for not specifically calling out antifa and other left-wing extremist groups,” Wallace said to Trump. “But are you willing tonight to condemn white supremacists and militia groups and to say that they need to stand down and not add to the violence in a number of these cities as we saw in Kenosha and as we’ve seen in Portland?”
“Sure, I’m willing to do that,” Trump responded.
Wallace continued to demand he do it “specifically” three more times.
“Proud Boys, stand back and stand by,” Trump responded, after Biden suggested he condemn the Proud Boys, a right-wing group, before attempting to shift the discussion back to left-wing groups.
“But I’ll tell you what, somebody’s got to do something about antifa and the Left because this is not a right-wing problem, this is a left-wing.”
“You know what, antifa is a dangerous, radical group,” Trump continued.
“We’re done, sir. Moving on,” Wallace interjected, cutting Trump off. “All right, gentlemen, we’re now moving on.”
Wallace also pressed Trump on white supremacy while questioning why the president chose to end the teaching of critical race theory in federal agencies, characterizing it as “racial sensitivity training.”
“This month, your administration directed federal agencies to end racial sensitivity training that addresses white privilege or critical race theory,” Wallace said. “Why did you decide to do that, to end racial sensitivity training? And do you believe that there is systemic racism in this country, sir?”
Critical race theory, which views American law and institutions as inherently racist and operating under a political framework of white supremacy, has gained popularity in progressive circles in recent years. According to CRT proponents, racism is a dominant component of American society, denying minorities many constitutional rights that are enjoyed by white people.
According to reports, executive branch employees were required to attend training events that taught them “virtually all White people contribute to racism” and that they “benefit from racism.”
“I ended it because it’s racist,” Trump said of the training.
“Nobody’s doing that. He’s the racist,” Biden responded.
At one point, Wallace alluded to the widely debunked line that Trump referred to white supremacists as “very fine people” following the 2017 “Unite The Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. In fact, Trump strongly condemned white supremacists during the exchange in question.
“As I said … we condemn in the strongest possible terms this egregious display of hatred, bigotry, and violence. It has no place in America,” Trump said at a press conference after the rally.
The events in Charlottesville in 2017, as well as the protests and riots that have spread across the country in the wake of George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis police custody earlier this year, have made race a central issue of the 2020 campaign. The most recent uprising intensified in August after Jacob Blake, another African American man, was shot by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
The protests, which have been orchestrated by Black Lives Matter, have led to violence and over a billion dollars in property damage in cities across the country. Antifa has often intensified the violence, most notably when 48-year-old antifa supporter Michael Forest Reinoehl was accused of fatally shooting a Trump supporter at a counterdemonstration in Portland.
Reinoehl himself was fatally shot by police as they attempted to arrest him days later.
The violence hasn’t been limited to Portland and Kenosha. In June, two lawyers threw a Molotov cocktail in an NYPD police cruiser during protests and riots in New York City. In Seattle, protesters demanding the police department disband occupied the Capitol Hill neighborhood of the city, creating an autonomous zone known as “CHAZ” or “CHOP.” The area turned lawless, resulting in four shootings and several sexual assault allegations. Also in Seattle, rioters tried to trap police officers in a burning police station in August.
Reports of right-wing or white supremacist violence over the summer have been sparse. Initial media reports out of Richmond, Virginia, suggested that white supremacists disguised as Black Lives Matter protesters set a dump truck on fire during protests there. However, later reports revealed that local authorities had no evidence the protesters were linked to white supremacists. Similar media reports surfaced in Minneapolis, suggesting that white supremacist groups were linked to the looting during protests. But again, later reports revealed that the people in question had no known ties to white supremacist groups.
Anti-police rhetoric may have contributed to targeted attacks on law enforcement officers. Earlier this month, two Los Angeles sheriff’s deputies were ambushed by a lone gunman while they sat in their patrol car. They were rushed to the hospital in critical condition. More recently, two Louisville officers were shot and injured during protests over the Breonna Taylor verdict.
Wallace’s reference to white supremacy and violence in Kenosha fed into Biden’s narrative, which has accused white supremacists and far-right groups of contributing to the violence.
After the debate, Biden released an ad linking 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse, who is accused of killing two protesters during riots in Kenosha, to white supremacist groups. Rittenhouse was charged with murder in the case, though video evidence suggests he may have acted in self-defense. Thus far, there is no evidence that Rittenhouse is linked to any white supremacist groups or far-right militias, however, the investigation is still underway.
