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Notorious Hate Group Proud Boys Celebrates Trump's Debate Comments

Masood Farivar

   The Proud Boys are fired up.

   The notorious hate group has been celebrating since President Donald
   Trump refused to directly disavow them and other white supremacists
   during Tuesday night's presidential debate in Cleveland, Ohio.

   Trump, who has been criticized for never explicitly denouncing
   right-wing extremism, was asked by debate moderator Chris Wallace of
   Fox News if he would condemn white supremacy.

   "Who would you like me to condemn?" Trump asked before Democratic
   challenger Joe Biden mentioned the Proud Boys, a pro-Trump right-wing
   group. "The Proud Boys? Stand back and stand by," Trump responded
   cryptically.

   "But I'll tell you what, I'll tell you what," Trump continued.
   "Somebody's gotta do something about antifa and the left, because this
   is not a right-wing problem, this is a left-wing problem."

   Prominent leaders of the Proud Boys, who frequently appear at Trump
   rallies, took that as a ringing endorsement of their fight against
   anti-fascist activists known as antifa.

   On Instagram, Enrique Tarrio, a well-known Proud Boys leader, wrote
   that he was "excited about the mention on the debate stage."

   "Him telling the ProudBoys to stand back and standby is what we have
   ALWAYS done," Tarrio wrote.

   Joe Biggs, another Proud Boys organizer, went further.

   "Trump basically said to go [expletive] them up!" Biggs wrote. "This
   makes me so happy."

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