WASHINGTON _ President Donald Trump said Thursday in an interview that he condemned the Proud Boys, a militant group that supports him, after declining to directly condemn white supremacists during Tuesday's presidential debate.
"I condemn the KKK, I condemn all white supremacists, I condemn the Proud Boys," Trump said in an interview on Fox News, after insisting that he had long condemned such groups.
"If I say it 100 times it won't be enough because it's fake news," he said.
Trump came under criticism following the debate after he said only "sure" and "I will" after moderator Chris Wallace of Fox News invited him to condemn white supremacists. After his reelection opponent Joe Biden suggested he condemn the Proud Boys, Trump responded, "Proud Boys, stand back and stand by" _ a phrase that members of the group celebrated on social media.
Trump said the next day that he meant the group should "stand down" and allow police to regulate leftist protesters.
