Despite Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers writing a letter to Trump asking him not to come to Kenosha, President Trump went anyway. And today, he toured the ravaged areas of the city, walking through rubble and destroyed property. He then held a law enforcement roundtable, as the president reinforces his law and order platform as president and as a candidate. President Trump said “These are not peaceful protests but domestic terror.”
President Trump went on to champion the law enforcement officers who helped during the week long protests in Kenosha over the death of Jacob Blake. The death of Blake caused protestors to destroy the city, and Evers had to call in additional 500 National Guard individuals to aid the local police.
Trump touched on the racial tensions, especially with the police. He said, “The vast and overwhelming majority of police officers are honorable, courageous and devoted public servants.” When asked about Blake, who was shot by a police officer, Trump said, “I feel terrible for anybody who goes through that.”
But Trump then addressed the double-edged sword of the topic, which is very controversial and most politicians are trying to avoid. Trump said that oftentimes, police officers are in extremely hard situations and under tremendous pressure. He said, “If they make a wrong decision one way or the other, they’re either dead or they’re in big trouble.”
A reporter then tried to tell Trump that most of the protests have been peaceful. Trump replied, 'I keep hearing about peaceful protests ... and then I come to an area like this and the town is burned down. By and large this is not peaceful protesting.”
President Trump also showed his eagerness to work with the Democrat-led cities to help with the protests and help communities rebuild. He said, "My Administration coordinated with the state and local authorities to very, very swiftly deploy the National Guard, surge federal law enforcement to Kenosha, and stop the violence. We are ready to do the same in any city that wants help.”
He then announced that the federal government would offer assistance, saying, “We will provide $1 million to Kenosha law enforcement, nearly $4 million to support the small businesses that have suffered, and over $42 million to support public safety statewide.”
There is still a 7pm curfew in Kenosha with more than 1,500 National Guard members patrolling the streets.
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