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President Donald Trump's hesitation, once again, to denounce white supremacy during Tuesday's presidential debate is drawing quick condemnation from anti-racism activists — as are his unusual comments directed at a white supremacist group called the Proud Boys.

During an exchange on the debate stage, moderator Chris Wallace repeatedly asked Trump if he would 

. Trump initially sidestepped that question, claiming that he mostly sees violence "from the left wing."

Trump eventually responded to Wallace's question by referring to a white supremacist group, saying, "Proud Boys, stand back and stand by. But I'll tell you what: Somebody's got to do something about antifa and the left."

 white supremacist terrorism among the most serious threats facing the nation. In testimony this month to the 

, FBI Director Christopher Wray said the majority of domestic terrorism threats and violence come from "racially motivated violent extremism," mostly from people who subscribe to white supremacist ideologies.

 or movement rather than an organized group and said the FBI was investigating some cases involving people who self-identify with antifa. But he said the protest-related violence doesn't appear to be organized or connected to one group. Protests for racial justice have at times turned violent but have largely been peaceful.

, internet users created memes that appeared to marry support for the Proud Boys with Trump's remarks.

The Anti-Defamation League's Jonathan Greenblatt, meanwhile, has 

 for that statement or explain what he meant.

The exchange came not long after former Vice President Joe Biden recalled the memory of deadly 

 that broke out in Charlottesville, Va., in August 2017 — a moment Biden has 

 in his decision to challenge Trump for the presidency.

"Close your eyes. Remember what those people looked like coming out of the fields, carrying torches, their veins bulging, just spewing anti-Semitic bile," Biden said. "And the president said there were 'very fine people on both sides.' No president has ever said anything like that."

Biden is referring to Trump's comments responding to the violence, where he indeed said there were "very fine people on both sides" of the clash between white supremacists and counterprotesters. Trump later said he was referring to both anti-racism counterprotesters and those in Charlottesville who 

PolitiFact called the statement a situation where "

Trump has a history of refusing to quickly denounce racism and white nationalism, and then backpedaling.

During the 2016 campaign, he was forced to 

 on Twitter after initially refusing to condemn former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke.

NPR National Desk correspondent Leila Fadel contributed to this report.

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Asked to disavow white supremacists, President Donald Trump addressed the Proud Boys directly, telling them to "stand back and stand by." He did not expand on what he meant.

From debate stage, Trump declines to denounce white supremacy

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