President Donald Trump appeared for a roundtable discussion in Kenosha, Wisconsin on Tuesday; the city has been overcome with protests after police shot an unarmed Black man seven times in the back.
But Trump’s visit to the city was much more of a push for his law and order re-election strategy than to address any of the issues that led to the protests, which turned violent last Tuesday when a 17-year-old shot and killed two protesters.
At one point in the roundtable, Trump was asked whether he believes systemic racism is a problem in the United States.
But the president dodged the question rather than answer, saying, “Well, you know, you just keep getting back to the opposite subject. We should talk about the kind of violence that we’ve seen in Portland and here and other places. It’s tremendous violence. You always get to the other side.”
Reporter: "Do you believe systemic racism is a problem in this country?"
— The Hill (@thehill) September 1, 2020
President Trump: "Well you know you just keep getting back to the opposite subject. We should talk about the kind of violence that we've seen in Portland and here and other places." pic.twitter.com/dYnVz64VZc
Trump did not mention Jacob Blake during his roundtable until asked about it by a reporter. Instead, the president spent much of his time praising law enforcement.
The president said, “We must give far greater support to our law enforcement … these are great people.”
He added, “You have people that choke … they’re under tremendous pressure and they may be there for fifteen years and have a spotless record and all of a sudden, they’re faced with a decision. They have a quarter of a second to make a decision and if they make a wrong decision, one way or the other, they’re either dead or they’re in big trouble.”
At a law enforcement roundtable in Kenosha, Pres. Trump makes no mention of Jacob Blake or police reform.
— CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) September 1, 2020
“We have to condemn the dangerous anti-police rhetoric," @POTUS said in claiming that some officers “choke” under pressure: “and then people call them bad and horrible." pic.twitter.com/B0twYPnngR
Trump did not mention Jacob Blake during his tweet announcing his visit to Wisconsin, instead writing, “Heading to Kenosha, Wisconsin, to thank Law Enforcement and the National Guard for a job well done. The Violence stopped six days ago, the moment the Guard entered the picture. Thank you!”
He has tried to blame Democrats and Joe Biden for the protests that have turned violent in certain cities but Biden hit back on that messaging during a speech on Monday, saying, “Ask yourself, do I look like a radical socialist with a soft spot for rioters? Really?”