White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany addressed the criticism Donald Trump has been facing due to the comments he made about the Proud Boys during this week. She went on to defend the president, who she claims has repeatedly denounced white supremacy, adding that his record on this is "unmistakable."
During Thursday's heated White House press briefing, McEnany said the news coverage of Trump's comments was shameful, claiming the media doesn't want to cover his response, as reported by Fox News. She defended the president saying he has denounced white supremacy, the KKK, and hate groups of all forms.
Aside from that, McEnany noted that the president signed a resolution last week, expressing his desire to see the KKK declared as domestic terrorists. Following this remark, she confidently said that Trump's record on this is unmistakable, and it is shameful that the media doesn't want to cover it.
Furthermore, she noted that the president's record when it comes to condemning white supremacy is not mixed in the white supremacy. The question comes after a moment in the first debate when Fox News Sunday host Chris Wallace asked Trump if he was willing to denounce white supremacists.
Trump said he was willing to do that, but noted that everything he saw was from the left-wing, not the right-wing. After making this comment, the president said he was willing to do anything to see peace. This sparked an intense moment with the Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden.
When Trump asked who he wanted him to condemn, urging the journalist to give him a name, Biden interrupted saying, "Proud Boys.” “Proud Boys, stand back and stand by," Donald said, noting that somebody needs to do something about Antifa and the left because this wasn't a right-wing problem.
Touted as a group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, the Proud Boys have organized several events in Portland, in collaboration with other right-wing groups. These gatherings have led to violent clashes with left-wing counterdemonstrators.
Biden said Antifa represented an idea and is not an organization, but Trump clapped back saying, “Oh you’ve got to be kidding.” Giving an example of a bat hitting over the head, the president insisted that Antifa was bad, and represented more than just an idea.
The day after the first debate, and in the wake of facing criticism from the media, Trump, again responded to the questions from reporters. He went on to say that he didn't know who the Proud Boys are, telling reporters that they would need to give him a definition.
Later in the briefing at the White House, he told reporters that all he can say about the Proud Boys is that they need to stand down and let the law enforcement do their work. On Wednesday, McEnany blasted reporters for using “Proud Boys” in their headlines and stories in order to get public circulation.