/https://specials-images.forbesimg.com/imageserve/5f4d0b364b0d65d82d6ed1bf/0x0.jpg?cropX1=0&cropX2=4709&cropY1=54&cropY2=2704&w=1200&resize=1200,675&ssl=1 "Trump Plans ‘Unifying’ Visit To Kenosha As Gov. Warns Of Heightened Polarization")
TOPLINE
President Trump will visit Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Tuesday in an attempt to unify the state after over a week of unrest, despite a request to cancel the trip from Wisconsin’s Democratic governor who warned the president will only inflame tensions.
President Donald Trump speaks at an airport hanger at a rally a day after he formally accepted his … [+]
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KEY FACTS
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany confirmed the visit during a Monday morning appearance on Fox News’s “Fox & Friends,” saying: “[Trump] loves the people of Wisconsin, and he looks forward to speaking directly to them and unifying the state.”
On Sunday night, Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers sent a letter to the White House requesting Trump cancel his trip on the basis that he and “other community leaders” were concerned of what the president’s “presence [would] mean for Kenosha and our state.”
“I am concerned your presence will only hinder our healing,” wrote Evers in the letter, adding: “I’m concerned your presence will only delay our work to overcome division and move forward together.”
Tensions have been high in Kenosha since Aug. 23, when a police officer shot Jacob Blake, a 29-year-old Black man, multiple times in the back, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down (it’s unclear if the paralysis is permanent).
Protests over Blake’s shooting turned deadly on Tuesday night when 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse allegedly shot three people, killing two, as armed militia descended upon the city.
Former vice president and 2020 presidential candidate Joe Biden is expected to criticize Trump for a tendency to “fan the flames of division and encourage chaos in our cities” during a Monday speech in southwest Pennsylvania; the Trump campaign has attempted to portray Biden as soft on crime, with both Trump and Vice President Mike Pence pushing the message that “You won’t be safe in Joe Biden’s America.”
Chief Critic
“The job of the president is to lower the temperature,” reads a statement from the Biden campaign released Sunday, accusing Trump of “fanning the flames of hate” and failing to “call on his supporters to stop seeking conflict.”
Key Background
While Trump has accused Democrat-run cities of failing to keep control, Democratic leaders have responded by warning the president’s inflammatory rhetoric has polarized and driven violence. “The Radical Left Mayors & Governors of Cities where this crazy violence is taking place have lost control of their ‘Movement,’” Trump wrote on Monday amid a flurry of tweets about “Law & Order,” the “mess” of Portland and the city’s “joke of a mayor” and Kenosha.
In Portland, where a man wearing apparel affiliated with a right wing group was shot and killed during clashes with Black Lives Matter protesters on Saturday night, Mayor Ted Wheeler blasted Trump: “Do you seriously wonder, Mr. President, why this is the first time in decades that America has seen this level of violence?” The Democratic mayor continued, saying, “It’s you who has created the hate and the division.”
Big Number
102. The number of those arrested in Kenosha, Wisconsin, who came from outside the city, according to Kenosha police. There has previously been concern that outside agitators are taking advantage of protests and riots in some cities to stoke violence.
Further Reading
“Biden Tries To Flip The Script, Asking ‘Are You Safe In Trump’s America?’” (Forbes)
“What Happened in Portland? Here’s What We Know” (The New York Times)
“17-Year-Old Arrested In Illinois For Kenosha Shooting Amid Vigilante Militia Rumors” (Forbes)
“What We Know About Kyle Rittenhouse, The 17-Year-Old Charged In The Kenosha Shootings” (Forbes)
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