Trump Tries to Step Out of the Proud Boys Mess He Created
Asked by CNN host John Berman what the president meant by asking the Proud Boys to “stand back and stand by,” the Trump flack replied that the president “wants them to get out of the way” and “not do the things they say they want to do.”
That's more than a stretch. Why do Trump's people always have to "clarify" his comments?
Hours later on MSNBC, Trump senior campaign adviser Jason Miller gave his interpretation of what Trump meant with his “stand by” message to the far-right group. Asked by host Chuck Todd what the president wants the group to do following his message, Miller claimed Trump was calling for extremist groups to “stand by the wayside and get out of the way” of law enforcement.
So,
stand by means
get out of the way. That's a new one. Why do Trump's people always have to "clarify" his comments?
The Proud Boys celebrated Trump’s remarks on Tuesday night, seeing Trump’s refusal to denounce them as a sign of his support. The group redesigned their logo on Tuesday night to incorporate “stand back, stand by” as a new slogan.
Honesty from the mouths of the horses.
Others went further. Joe Biggs, a prominent Proud Boy who has worn shirts declaring “I’m Just Here for the Violence” and celebrating the executions of left-wing Chilean activists thrown from helicopters, posted that Trump’s remarks were permission to “go **** them up.”
“Trump basically said to go **** them up!” Biggs wrote on Parler, a social media network popular with conservatives. “This makes me so happy.”
And more...
Extremist groups like the Proud Boys saw Trump’s debate remarks as a “green light,” according to Lindsay Schubiner, a program director at the left-leaning Western States Center, which tracks the Proud Boys and other far-right groups.
The ProudBoys didn't need any clarifications.