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EPA
Trump said he was going to Kenosha to support the National Guard
US President Donald Trump has called the Democratic mayor of Kenosha a “fool”, accusing him of defending “radical anarchists.”
In his speech on the way to town, Trump said Kenosha would have been set on fire by protesters had it not been for the National Guard he deployed.
The city of Wisconsin experienced days of violence after police shot Jacob Blake, a black man, in the back.
Local leaders have asked the president to stay away.
But Trump has ignored their pleas while pushing a strong “law and order” message ahead of the November election.
“I think a lot of people are looking at what is happening in these Democratic-run cities and are upset,” the president said before boarding Air Force One to fly to Wisconsin.
“They see what is happening and they cannot believe what is happening in our country. I cannot believe it either.”
Although Trump claimed that he sent the National Guard to Kenosha, they were actually deployed by the Governor of Wisconsin.
He cited reports that protesters had attempted to break into the home of Kenosha Democratic Mayor John Antaramian.
“I saw last night where these radical anarchists are trying to break into the mayor’s house and a lot of bad things were happening to this poor stupid, very stupid mayor. I mean, how can he be mayor, I have no idea.
“They had a large number of people who were really harassing him horribly and I guess trying to break into his house and he still defends them because he’s a fool. Only a fool would defend them like that.”
The claim of the attempted robbery is not confirmed.
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Trump said he was visiting the city “to enforce the law and for the National Guard.”
“They have done a great job at Kenosha. They have put out the flame immediately,” he said.
In Kenosha, the president will meet with police officers, but not with the Blake family. He said earlier that it was because the relatives wanted lawyers present.
Over the weekend, Mayor Antaramian said it was not a good time for Trump to visit.
“Realistically, from our perspective, we would have preferred that he not come at this time,” he told National Public Radio.
What’s the latest in Kenosha?
In an interview with CNN, Blake’s father, Jacob Blake Sr., said that his son’s life was more important than a meeting with President Trump.
“I’m not getting into politics. It’s about my son, man. It has nothing to do with a photoshoot,” he said.
Mr. Blake Sr. said that his son was still paralyzed from the waist down, “holding out for his life.”
Jacob Blake, 29, was shot multiple times in the back by a police officer during an arrest, while Mr. Blake tried to get into a car where his three children were sitting.
“We’re dealing with an individual who a couple of weeks ago was running around with the kids and talking to me on the phone and laughing, with an individual who can’t move his leg,” said Blake Sr.
The Blake shooting sparked a new wave of protests against racism in the United States.
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Reuters
Jacob Blake’s father said his son was “holding on to life”
