Democracy Now!
During the first 2020 presidential debate, President Trump refused to condemn white supremacists. When pressed by moderator Chris Wallace of Fox News to disavow far-right extremism, Trump name-checked the Proud Boys and told them to “stand back and stand by,” words widely denounced as a tacit endorsement of the violent, white supremacist organization classified by the Southern Poverty Law Center as a hate group. The Proud Boys almost immediately responded by changing its logo online to include the Trump quote. Christian Picciolini says Trump’s words were a clear encouragement for “continued violence” from far-right groups.