Tarrio The Proud Boys promotes and engages in political violence in the United States and Canada.[15]
Tarrio volunteered at a Miami event for far-right commentator Milo Yiannopoulos in May 2017 where he encountered a member of the Proud Boys who encouraged him to join the group.[4] In August 2017, Tarrio attended the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.[16] He said he was there to protest the removal of Confederate monuments and memorials.[17]
Tarrio became a fourth-degree member of the Proud Boys, a distinction reserved for those who get into a physical altercation, after punching someone who is believed to be aligned with antifa in the face in June 2018.[18] He assumed the role of chairman for the organization on November 29, 2018, succeeding Jason Lee Van Dyke, who held the position for two days, and Van Dyke's predecessor Gavin McInnes.[19][20]