Rittenhouse Meets Trump

Rittenhouse and his mother met with Trump at Mar-a-Lago.

Photo: Twitter (Tweet from Donald Trump, Jr.)

(SAN FRANCISCO, CA.) - Vigilante Kyle Rittenhouse was acquitted of killing two people and wounded one other with an AR-15 semiautomatic rifle at a protest in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

The night of Aug 25, 2020, protesters had gathered there to speak out against the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man who was left paralyzed after being shot by a police officer.

The actions of the (then) 17-year old are not excusable. The jury, however, found him not guilty.

Shortly after the verdict, former president Donald Trump sent an email statement about the verdict. It read: "Congratulations to Kyle Rittenhouse for being found INNOCENT of all charges. It's called being found NOT GUILTY- and by the way, if that's not self-defense, nothing is!”

Later, Rittenhouse and his mother met with Trump at Mar-a-Lago. The photo of the two together speaks volumes about the political polarization in this country.

I am appalled at the verdict and Trump’s use of Rittenhouse for political purposes while Trump’s base is undoubtedly cheering.