Donald Trump refused to condemn white supremacy at the first presidential debate, and instead said that Antifa and ‘the left’ are the problem.
He made the swerve after Fox News moderator Chris Wallace asked a straightforward question to the president.
‘Are you willing tonight to condemn white supremacists and militia groups?’ Wallace said.
‘I’m willing to do anything,’ Trump said. ‘I want peace.’
Biden then urged the president, ‘Do it. Say it.
‘What do you want me to say?’ Trump said, ‘What do you want to call them? Give me a name.’
‘White supremacists,’ the moderator Chris Wallace quickly said.
Trump responded, ‘Proud Boys, stand back and stand by,’ in reference to extreme right-wing group with Nazi ties.
‘I would say almost everything I see is from the left wing,’ Trump said. He went on to insist that antifa – a left wing group blamed for anti-police riots across US cities – was a terrorist organization. Joe Biden refuted that, and insisted antifa is just a loose, disorganzed collective of violent protesters.
Trump went on to brand Biden weak on law and order issues, highlighting his support from police unions in New York, and Biden’s own home state of Delaware.
Biden answered Trump’s criticism by insisting he does not want to defund US police departments – and claimed a planned $400million budget cut by President Trump would do that anyway if Trump wins re-election on November 3.
Tuesday night’s heated debate saw Biden and Trump come to verbal blows over every topic they were questioned on by Wallace. Biden repeatedly branded Trump a ‘clown’ and called him America’s worst president ever, while Trump claimed Biden would destroy the US economy, and taunted him over his son Hunter’s cocaine use.
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