The mainstream media has been jumping on a dubious narrative that President Trump failed to denounce white supremacy at this week’s presidential debate.
They have focused on his message to the Proud Boys, in which Trump said to “stand back and stand by.”
CNN correspondent Sara Sidner reported that the far-right group is “more like a political fight club, if you will, than a white supremacist group, and have distanced themselves.”
Still, the “stand by” comment is being used to assert the President was giving a wink and a nod to white supremacists.
Watch: When asked if he would condemn white supremacy, the President of the United States looked into the camera, and said: “proud boys, stand back and standby…”
pic.twitter.com/R07bH8eINR— David Begnaud (@DavidBegnaud) September 30, 2020
The transcript of the debate itself, however, shows a willingness on Trump’s part to disavow any group responsible for violence in the streets.
“Are you willing tonight to condemn white supremacists and militia group 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?” moderator Chris Wallace asked.
“Sure. Sure I’m willing to do that,” Trump replied.
Wallace pressed the issue further to which the President replied, “I’m willing to do anything. I want to see peace.”
A third attempt by Wallace to bait Trump led to the specific call for the Proud Boys to “stand back and stand by.”
The liars in the media are cutting Trump’s answer out of their transcript.
“Sure. Sure I’m willing to do that.”
They’re doing the Fine People Hoax again https://t.co/ZBZ9J9uulv
— Jack Posobiec ?? (@JackPosobiec) September 30, 2020
RELATED: Trump Slams Chris Wallace: ‘I Guess I’m Debating You, Not Him’
White House Press Sec. Kayleigh McEnany: Trump Has Denounced White Supremacy Time and Time Again
Just this morning, White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany was asked yet again by Fox News reporter John Roberts if the President condemns white supremacists.
McEnany ran down the many examples for Roberts, who simply wouldn’t accept the answer.
Kayleigh @PressSec shuts down media attempt to continue with false White Supremacy narrative. @FoxNews @realDonaldTrump pic.twitter.com/h9qj0xjowE
— ??Maggie VandenBerghe?? (@FogCityMidge) October 1, 2020
In a bizarre exchange later, a visibly upset Roberts went on a tirade against unspecified Twitter users who questioned his earlier conduct in the press briefing.
Roberts said, standing near the White House, “And for all of you on Twitter who are hammering me for asking that question, I don’t care!”
He added, “Because it’s a question that needs to be asked, and clearly, the President’s Republican colleagues, a mile away from here, are looking for an answer for it, too.”
“So stop deflecting, stop blaming the media! I’m tired of it.”
White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany was asked yet again today by Fox News reporter John Roberts if the President condemns white supremacists.
This is really wild pic.twitter.com/s3SST25Q68
— Jack Posobiec ?? (@JackPosobiec) October 1, 2020
It’s Charlottesville All Over Again
The debate controversy has shades of the Charlottesville hoax all over again.
Somebody – in this case Wallace – demands Trump denounce white supremacy repeatedly, and when he gives multiple answers, they focus on the one that pushes their narrative.
Wallace brought Charlottesville up during the debate, reiterating it almost as fact when he questioned Biden about running for President (emphasis mine).
“Vice-President Biden, you say that President Trump’s response to the violence in Charlottesville three years ago, when he talked about very fine people on both sides, was what directly led you to launch this run for president,” he said.
But the media-driven Charlottesville hoax is actually a shining example of how the President does, in fact, denounce white supremacists.
The President specifically called out the bigots at the Charlottesville rally.
“I’m not talking about the neo-Nazis and the white nationalists,” Trump said, “because they should be condemned totally.”
Here is the video of Trump saying it: “I’m not talking about the neo-Nazis and the white nationalists, because they should be condemned totally”
Joe Biden denies that this happened pic.twitter.com/AejOrmskoe
— Ryan Saavedra (@RealSaavedra) August 8, 2019
RELATED: The Top 5 Trump Moments From Last Night’s Presidential Debate
Trump’s History of Denouncing White Supremacy
The Washington Post published a chronology of comments made by the President regarding white supremacist, David Duke.
In 1991, Trump responded to news that 55 percent of white in Louisiana voted for Duke to be their governor, saying “I hate seeing what it represents.”
When declining a nomination for President from the Reform Party in 2000, Trump explained: “Well, you’ve got David Duke just joined — a bigot, a racist, a problem. I mean, this is not exactly the people you want in your party.”
And in 2015, when Duke gave a backhanded endorsement to Trump, the President responded “I don’t need his endorsement; I certainly wouldn’t want his endorsement.”
Duke, actually, was pretty outraged at Trump over his Charlottesville comments specifically because they denounced he and his fellow white supremacists.
Like this? pic.twitter.com/At6nLcwDEl https://t.co/zvWfhPjpQx
— MAGS (@TAftermath2020) September 30, 2020
Factcheck.org reports that Biden’s claim that Trump has “yet once to condemn white supremacy, the neo-Nazis,” is false.
“Contrary to Biden’s claim,” they write, “the president twice specifically condemned white supremacists and neo-Nazis, and he has repeated that condemnation since.”
