Trump snubs Wisconsin Gov Tony Evers' plea to stay away from Kenosha, WH says visit will help 'great city heal'
President Donald J. Trump is determined to make a trip to Kenosha, Wisconsin Tuesday despite state Democrats pleading with the commander-in-chief not to visit the city amid the ongoing turmoil.
The White House announced Sunday evening that the president plans to visit the city despite Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers' letter urging him to stay away from Kenosha. "The White House has been humbled by the outreach of individuals from Kenosha who have welcomed the President's visit and are longing for leadership to support local law enforcement and businesses that have been vandalized," Trump's Deputy Press Secretary Judd Deere said. "President Trump looks forward to visiting on Tuesday and helping this great city heal and rebuild," he added.
On Sunday, the Democrat governor told the Republican president he wasn't welcome in Kenosha. "I, along with other community leaders who have reached out, are concerned about what your presence will mean for Kenosha and our state." he wrote in the letter, urging Trump to reconsider his trip.
Meanwhile, Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden finally condemned the violence that has ravaged major cities across the nation, after notably remaining silent on the subject for a while. "The deadly violence we saw overnight in Portland is unacceptable," Biden said in a statement Sunday. "Shooting in the streets of a great American city is unacceptable. I condemn this violence unequivocally. I condemn the violence of every kind by anyone, whether on the left or the right. And I challenge Donald Trump to do the same."
Kenosha's Democrat Mayor John Antaramian is hoping the president will not stop by his riot-torn city on Tuesday. "While presidents are always welcome to come to this great city, this is not the best time for a visit," Antaramian said in a statement Sunday. "We are hurting today and we are focused on healing, coming together as a community, and rebuilding. There is a lot of listening we need to do in Kenosha and I worry that a visit from the president will delay this important work."
The reaffirmation of the president's visit came shortly after it emerged that a Trump supporter in Portland, Oregon was executed by rioters over the weekend following Jacob Blake's police shooting.
The president paid a tribute to Patriot Prayer member Aaron 'Jay' Danielson after he was shot and killed by anti-Trump rioters as they clashed with Trump supporters on the city's streets.
Trump wrote, "Rest In Peace Jay!" as he retweeted a tribute to Danielson from Women for Trump co-founder Amy Kremer. "This is Jay Bishop. He was a good American that loved his country and Backed the Blue. He was murdered in Portland by ANTIFA. Jay, we will never forget you. Rest In Peace, my friend," Kremer wrote.
Portland has become a hotbed of race riots and violence after George Floyd's Memorial Day death at the end of May. Trump has threatened to send in federal troops or deploy the National Guard if Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler doesn't take action. "Portland is a mess, and it has been for many years," Trump tweeted Monday. "If this joke of a mayor doesn't clean it up, we will go in and do it for them!"
Portland is a mess, and it has been for many years. If this joke of a mayor doesn’t clean it up, we will go in and do it for them!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 31, 2020
Meanwhile, local Republicans have also lashed out against Democrat leaders over their attempts to steer the president clear of the area. According to them, it is a double standard for Evers to visit the city himself, as he did Thursday, and then accuse Trump of having selfish motivations behind his scheduled visit.
"They should not talk like that when Kenosha has had the devastation it's had since Sunday," Erin Decker, a county board supervisor and local Republican leader, said on Sunday. "Nobody said Evers coming to Kenosha was political. I think it might bring up the morale of the people of Kenosha."