Proud Boys members at a Colorado event in 2017 Image by Getty Images

By Molly Boigon September 30, 2020

In response to a question about whether he would condemn white supremacists and militia groups and ask them to stay peaceful in the coming weeks and months, President Trump singled out the Proud Boys, a racist and antisemitic white supremacist group and told them to “stand by.”

“Are you willing tonight to condemn white supremacists and militia groups and to say that they need to stand down and not add to the violence?” asked moderator Chris Wallace of Fox News.

“Proud boys, stand back and stand by,” said Trump.

Antisemitism Notebook

Your weekly guide through the news and the noise of how rising antisemitism and disputes over how to address it are shaping American Jewish life.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

Proud Boy members on social media platforms like Telegram reacted with delight.

“Trump basically said to go fuck them up! This makes me so happy,” said a member named Joe Biggs.

The Proud Boys are ecstatic tonight about getting mentioned in the debate tonight.

“Trump basically said to go fuck them up! this makes me so happy,” writes one prominent Proud Boy. pic.twitter.com/hYA7yQVAOn

— Mike Baker (@ByMikeBaker) September 30, 2020

The Proud Boys on Telegram have now posted an image with its logo and Trump’s remark. https://t.co/xSySGrohcm pic.twitter.com/UAJFsKCsbX

— Alex Kaplan (@AlKapDC) September 30, 2020

Jonathan Greenblatt, the head of the Anti-Defamation League, instantly condemned the response on Twitter.

It’s astonishing that, when asked a simple question, will you condemn white supremacists, @POTUS responded – “The Proud Boys should stand back and stand by.” Trying to determine if this was an answer or an admission. @POTUS owes America an apology or an explanation. Now. https://t.co/9tgufXom9K

— Jonathan Greenblatt (@JGreenblattADL) September 30, 2020

The Proud Boys were founded during the 2016 presidential election and describe themselves as “Western chauvinists.” Former Proud Boys member Jason Kessler helped organize the “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville.

That rally came up during an earlier part of the debate.

Vice President Joe Biden recalled President Donald Trump’s response to the violence in Charlottesville as one of the reasons he joined the 2020 presidential race.

“Remember what those people looked like coming out of the fields carrying torches, their veins bulging, just spewing antisemitic bile and accompanied by the Ku Klux Klan,” said Biden. “A young woman got killed and they asked the president what he thought and he said there were very fine people on both sides. No president has ever said anything like that.”

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

The coming year promises to be filled with more complex and historic developments. We are entering an era where independent, fact-based Jewish journalism will be more important than ever. We need to be ready for whatever 2025 will bring, and with your help, we can be.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

With your support, we’ll be ready for whatever 2025 brings.

$36 $500

$120 $180 Other amount