PORTLAND, Maine (AP) - Republican Sen. Susan Collins on Wednesday criticized President Donald Trump for his failure to condemn white supremacists during a debate with Democratic challenger Joe Biden.
The president was asked Tuesday whether he would condemn white supremacist groups, such as the Proud Boys, a men-only group of neo-fascists who describe themselves as “western chauvinists.” Trump said the group should “stand back and stand by.”
Collins said in a statement Wednesday that intolerance and white supremacy “have no place in our country.”
“The president should always condemn any kind of hate, and he should have done so last night,” she said.
Collins is in a tight reelection race against Democratic Maine House Speaker Sara Gideon, who on Wednesday accused the president of sowing “hatred and division among Americans.”
Gideon reiterated that Mainers deserve to know whether Collins will support Trump on Election Day. Collins didn’t vote for Trump in 2016 but has not said whether she’ll vote for him in this election.
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