The Proud Boys are using Trump's 'stand by' remark as a recruiting tool, rebranding to incorporate what they see as his call to action

• The far-right Proud Boys group has launched a recruitment drive following President Donald Trump's comments during the first presidential debate.
• "Proud Boys - stand back and stand by," remarked the president when asked to denounce white nationalism.
• Members of the group have clashed with anti-racism demonstrators in cities such as Portland.
• Trump's comments come amid concerns that armed militias could come to polling stations as conspiracy theories about rigged ballots spread.

The Proud Boys street militia have seized on President Donald Trump's remarks during the first US presidential debate to launch a recruitment drive.

The far-right group, designated a "hate group" by civil rights nonprofit the Southern Poverty Law Center, was briefly center-stage in the first presidential debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden.

Trump was asked to denounce them and other white nationalist organisations, but responded ambiguously with the line: "Proud Boys — stand back and stand by." He then pivoted to attack left-wing groups.

Many Proud Boys saw in the remarks as a nod of encouragement from the president.

Experts on extremism on Twitter noted that in the wake of the president's remarks, made before a live TV audience of millions, the group sought to capitalize by launching a recruitment drive.

—nikki mccann ramírez (@NikkiMcR) September 30, 2020

—Laith Alkhouri (@MENAanalyst) September 27, 2020

—JJ MacNab (@jjmacnab) September 30, 2020

The group circulated a new logo to incorporate the president's quote.

—Alex Kaplan (@AlKapDC) September 30, 2020

It also sold t-shirts with the president's quote on its channel on Parler, a free speech app beloved of right-wing extremists.

In a Twitter thread, JJ McNab of the George Washington Center on Extremism said the the Proud Boys could use the president's comments to rally far right extremists under their banner.

"The Proud Boys is a relatively small group, clumped together in a handful of geographic locations. Trump's 'stand by' call last night could be an effective recruiting tool, attracting other extremists to switch affiliations," she wrote.

—JJ MacNab (@jjmacnab) September 30, 2020

Founded during the 2016 election by Vice co-founder Gavin McInnes, the Proud Boys describe themselves as a "western chauvinist" fraternal organisation.

McInnes has since distanced himself from the group.

They claim not to be racist, but the SPLC notes that "rank-and-file Proud Boys and leaders regularly spout white nationalist memes and maintain affiliations with known extremists."

Members of the group were present at the Unite the Right white nationalist rally in Charlottesville in 2017, where Trump again refused to unequivocally condemn white nationalists.

And at anti-racism protests that have broken out in Portland and other cities over the summer, members of the Proud Boys have turned out to show their support for Trump and clashed with rival demonstrators.

The group has been ousted from social media platforms such as Facebook for violating hate speech rules, with members gathering on encrypted apps such as Parler to spread propaganda and launch recruitment drives.

There, Enrique Tarrio, who describes himself as the group's chairman, welcomed Trump's comments but sought to distance the group from white nationalists.

"I am not taking this as a direct endorsement from the President. He did an excellent job and was asked a VERY pointed question. The question was in reference to WHITE SUPREMACY...which we are not," he wrote.

In recent testimony before Congress, FBI director Christopher Wray remarked that racially motivated extremism remained the biggest domestic terror threat in the US.