SC’s Tim Scott says Trump should correct response to white supremacy question at debate
South Carolina’s U.S. Sen. Tim Scott, the Senate’s sole Black Republican, told Washington reporters Wednesday that President Donald Trump misspoke but should correct his remarks made during Tuesday night’s presidential debate when the president avoided explicitly condemning white supremacy.
“I think he misspoke in response to (debate moderator) Chris Wallace’s comment,” Scott told reporters as he stood near, but socially distanced from, Trump’s Supreme Court justice nominee, Amy Coney Barrett. “He was asking Chris what he wanted to say. I think he misspoke. I think he should correct it. If he doesn’t correct it, I guess he didn’t misspeak.”
Fox News’ Wallace asked Trump Tuesday if he would condemn members of white supremacist and militia groups, whose behavior at protests across the country in response to racial injustice and police brutality of Black Americans has drawn criticism. Wallace specifically mentioned Kenosha, Wisconsin, where Kyle Rittenhouse, a white teen, was charged with killing two protesters.
“Almost everything I see is from the left wing, not from the right wing,” Trump said.
“I’m willing to do anything. I want to see peace,” Trump continued. “What do you want to call them? Give me a name.”
Democratic nominee Joe Biden mentioned “Proud Boys,” a far-right male-only extremist group known to incite street violence, according to The Associated Press.
“Proud Boys, stand back and stand by,” Trump said, a comment that the group touted online shortly after, reports said. “But I’ll tell you what, I’ll tell you what, somebody’s got to do something about antifa and the left because this is not a right-wing problem.”
Campaign press secretary Hogan Gidley told CNN Wednesday that Trump has denounced white supremacy many times.
“He’s condemned white supremacy by name on multiple occasions,” Gidley said. “When he was asked (Tuesday) would he disavow them, would he condemn them, he said, ‘Sure,’ three times.”
And the president was asked again later Wednesday about condemning white supremacy.
“I’ve always denounced any form of any of that,” Trump said according to a White House pool report.
He also told White House reporters that members of the “Proud Boys” group need to let police do their jobs.
“I don’t know who the ‘Proud Boys’ are,” Trump said according to the pool report. “Whoever they are they need to stand down.”
South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster told reporters Wednesday he watched the debate, calling it a “very interesting event.”
“I was fascinated by the back-and-forth, and was very interested in watching Chris Wallace try to handle those two contestants, but I ... found it invigorating and very interesting,” McMaster said, calling Trump the winner not based “so much on word” but on his record.
But when asked whether he was confident in South Carolina’s ability to handle an election, McMaster responded an affirmative yes.
Trump questioned the integrity of the country’s elections system repeatedly Tuesday night, again targeting mail ballots and also calling on his supporters to go be poll watchers after making a reportedly false claim that poll watchers were being denied access in Philadelphia precincts.
“Yes, I do,” said McMaster when asked whether he has confidence in the integrity of the state’s elections system. “We’re set up for that sort of thing, with poll watchers and all that. That’ll all be fully functioning on Election Day.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
This story was originally published September 30, 2020 at 1:18 PM with the headline "SC’s Tim Scott says Trump should correct response to white supremacy question at debate."
