Photos: Far-right groups, feeling support from Trump, find fertile recruiting ground in the Northwest

FILE - In this Sept. 26, 2020 file photo, members of the Proud Boys, including leader Enrique Tarrio, second from left, gesture and cheer on stage as they and other right-wing demonstrators rally in Portland, Ore. President Donald Trump didn't condemn white supremacist groups and their role in violence in some American cities this summer. Instead, he said the violence is a "left-wing" problem and he told one far-right extremist group to "stand back and stand by." His comments Tuesday night were in response to debate moderator Chris Wallace asking if he would condemn white supremacists and militia groups. Trump's exchange with Democrat Joe Biden left the extremist group Proud Boys celebrating what some of its members saw as tacit approval. (AP Photo/John Locher)

President Trump on Tuesday again refused to condem white supremacists and nationalist groups. When asked during his debate with Joe Biden to disavow the Proud Boys, an extremist right-wing organization with an ardent following in Oregon, the president said the group should “stand back and stand by.” The group’s leadership regarded the comments, which Trump sought to walk back Wednesday, as an endorsement similar to the one he gave white supremacists who who marched in Charlottesville, Va., in 2017.

People with U.S. flags and Trump 2020 hats kneel in a park
People take a knee as an organizer reads a prayer to the crowd of several hundred gathered during a Proud Boys rally at Delta Park in Portland, Ore., on Saturday. (Maranie R. Staab / AFP/Getty Images)
A man in a tactical vest speaks into a microphone among group of men kneeling on stage
Members of the Proud Boys lead a prayer at a right-wing rally Saturday in Portland. (Maranie R. Staab / AFP/Getty Images)
Yellow smoke rises around men in Proud Boys gear in front of a U.S. flag
Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio, right, embraces a fellow member during a Saturday rally in Portland. Oregon Gov. Kate Brown declared a state of emergency in anticipation of potential violence between the Proud Boys and anti-racism, anti-fascist protesters. (Nathan Howard / Getty Images)
A man in a U.S. flag mask and carrying a riot shield holds his hand to his heart
A man hold his hand to his heart during the Proud Boys rally at Delta Park in Portland. (Maranie R. Staab / AFP/Getty Images)
Men in tactical vests walk across a bridge
Members of the Proud Boys and other right-wing demonstrators march across the Hawthorne Bridge in Portland in 2019. The group includes organizer Joe Biggs, center in green hat, and Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio, holding megaphone. (Noah Berger / Associated Press )
Proud Boys demonstrators in tactical vests plant a U.S. flag in a park
Joseph Oakman and fellow Proud Boys members plant a flag in Portland's Tom McCall Waterfront Park in 2019. (Noah Berger / Associated Press )
A man in a U.S. flag mask and tactical vest with a Proud Boy patch points into the masked face of a counter-protester
A member of the Proud Boys gestures into the face of a counter-protester in Portland. (John Locher / Associated Press)
Right-wing demonstrators with U.S. flags and Trump gear yell and raise their arms in a park
Members of the Proud Boys and other right-wing demonstrators rally Saturday in Portland. (John Locher / Associated Press)
A couple wearing camo gear pose with a Trump flag at a Proud Boys rally
A couple pose with a Trump flag during the Proud Boys rally in Portland. (Maranie R. Staab / AFP/Getty Images)
Several hundred members of the Proud Boys with U.S. flags and signs
Several hundred members of the Proud Boys and other right-wing demonstrators gather in Portland. (Maranie R. Staab / AFP/Getty Images)
A man holds a "Don't tread on me" flag in the shape of Oregon with images of assault rifles on either side
A man holds a Gadsden flag in the shape of Oregon during the Proud Boys rally in Portland. (Maranie R. Staab / AFP/Getty Images)
Several hundred members of the Proud Boys in a park raise U.S. and Trump flags
Demonstrators raise flags during the Proud Boys rally in Portland. (Maranie R. Staab / AFP/Getty Images)

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.