A frustrated member of the White House press corps unloaded on the Trump administration and his social media critics during a live shot Thursday.
Fox News' White House correspondent John Roberts was discussing the controversy around the Proud Boys, a far-right extremist group that supports President Donald Trump. During Tuesday night's debate between Trump and Democrat Joe Biden, Trump said the group should "stand back and stand by" and would not denounce white supremacist groups.
On Wednesday, Trump said he had never heard of the Proud Boys until the debate. During Thursday's press briefing, Roberts asked White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany if she would, on behalf of Trump, denounce white supremacy and groups that espouse it.
McEnany responded by citing past statements Trump and members of his administration have made and actions they have taken regarding their views on groups that harbor white supremacist views.
Roberts was visibly frustrated during his appearance live on the air, telling Fox News host Melissa Francis, "If the president didn't know who Proud Boys were, and Joe Biden just threw out the name — if he didn't know who they were, why did he denounce them?
"Why didn't he say, 'I don't know who they are. Can you give me more information about them,' and then make a decision about it? So this all remains very puzzling."
Axios posted a clip of Roberts' remarks.
Roberts closed the segment by expressing his frustration at Twitter users who are "hammering" him for asking McEnany to denounce white supremacy.
"And for all of you on Twitter who are hammering me for asking that question, I don't care," Roberts said.
"Because it's a question that needs to be asked, and clearly the president's Republican colleagues a mile away from here are looking for an answer for it too. So stop deflecting. Stop blaming the media."
He accented his point by appearing to slam something onto a stand in front of him before saying, "I'm tired of it."
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