During a Tuesday visit to Kenosha, Wisconsin, President Donald Trump starred in a misleading photo op designed to heighten worries over anti-racist protests across the country and increase support for military-style crackdowns by the federal government.
The White House announced Trump’s Kenosha visit over the weekend, saying he would speak with local law enforcement and tour sites of property damage following major protests in the city. The protests had been sparked by anger and sorrow after police shot Jacob Blake, a now-paralyzed 29-year-old Black man, seven times in the back. But Trump didn’t speak to Blake’s family during the visit, according to media reports.
Instead, Trump’s visit was mostly focused on highlighting property damage, demonizing protesters and scoring political points with his base, an effort that included falsely claiming that a man invited to speak glowingly of him to the press was the owner of a destroyed business. Continue reading.