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'From one bully to another': Trump slammed for 'congratulating' Kyle Rittenhouse

Donald Trump congratulated Kyle Rittenhouse for 'being found innocent of all charges'

Donald Trump congratulated Kyle Rittenhouse after the 18-year-old was found not guilty of shooting two men on the streets of Kenosha, Wisconsin, on August 25, 2020. The teenager had shot the men with an AR-15-style assault rifle claiming it as self-defense. The former president issued a brief statement on Friday, November 19, via his political action committee where he said that it was a clear case of self-defense.
 
Rittenhouse was charged with first-degree intentional homicide, attempted first-degree intentional homicide, first-degree reckless homicide and two counts of first-degree recklessly endangering safety. A jury in Kenosha acquitted the teen of all the five charges brought against him. Rittenhouse also made headlines when he shook and collapsed to the floor as the verdict were announced.
 
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Donald Trump congratulates Kyle Rittenhouse on acquittal

The official statement was shared on Twitter by Trump’s political action committee member Liz Harington. The post 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!".  President Joe Biden too grabbed the headlines after he got trolled for taking a U-turn on his comments on the same case.

During his election campaign in 2020, Biden had vehemently condemned Kyle Rittenhouse's actions and criticized his predecessor Trump for not disavowing White supremacists. However, on November 19, President Biden took a 360-degree turn on his earlier stance as he announced that he stands by the verdict. Biden said, "I didn't watch the trial. Look, I stand by what the jury has concluded. The jury system works, and we have to abide by it.” 

‘Kyle Rittenhouse is not a hero', says Twitter

Social media users swiftly logged into Twitter to slam Trump for congratulating Rittenhouse. “You can tell the Trumpers wanted this W so bad lol . first the election and then the Chauvin conviction .. they were down bad.. this was their super bowl”, said one user as another posted, “Glorifying killing people. So should the Capitol police have shot the rioters on January 6th?” One user said, “You guys gotta stop giving this man oxygen... The more you ignore him, the faster he goes away.” And, one person asserted, “It looks like a statement from a 13-year-old.”

Another shared, “I'm not sure who is the happiest; Kyle Rittenhouse, the Judge or Donald Trump? Let's see if Matt Gaetz follows through with his promise to make him a House intern. He might be competing with Trump to make him a VP choice in 2024.”  One added, “I wanna laugh more, give him his twitter back so i can start my day with a smile.” Meanwhile, one said, “And for posterity, f**k Donald Trump, he’s a giant narcissist. Kyle Rittenhouse is not a hero, he’s merely someone who killed people in self defense. Flashing the fake white power sign at the bar is so dumb and  lost any inkling of respect. Rioting is bad for everybody.” And, one concluded, “If Kyle Rittenhouse was Donald Trump he would have been President last year.” While one wrote: "From one bully to another, Congratulations".