"Congratulations, Kyle Rittenhouse, for being found INNOCENT of all charges," the statement said. "It's called being found NOT GUILTY— And by the way, if that's not self-defense, nothing is!"
He added he believed Rittenhouse would have been killed if he had not fired at Gaige Grosskreutz – the surviving individual from last year's Kenosha, Wisconsin, unrest, who pointed a gun at Rittenhouse. Grosskreutz was seriously injured in his right bicep when Rittenhouse fired at close range.
"I think [Rittenhouse] would have been dead if he waited a quarter of a second when that gun was pointed at his head. That guy was going to pull that trigger. Less than a second [later] he would have been dead," Trump said. "There would not have been a trial because they would not have tried the person who pulled the trigger. I was very happy to see it, a lot of people were happy to see it."
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The praising message came after a jury acquitted Rittenhouse of all five charges varying from intentional homicide to recklessly endangering the safety of others. The news came Friday after three days of deliberations. Rittenhouse shot and killed Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber last year in Wisconsin — he also fired at and injured Gaige Grosskreutz. The jury ruled Rittenhouse, who was 17 at the time of the shooting, was acting in self-defense.
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President Joe Biden said that he was "angry and concerned" by the announcement but stood by the jury's verdict Friday in front of reporters, stating, "The jury system works, and we have to abide by it."
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The public trial further cut the nation along political lines. The disturbance occurred during a riot in Kenosha, Wisconsin, following the shooting of Jacob Blake, a black man shot and left partially paralyzed by a white police officer.
"Our justice system is broken. It protects white supremacy. The two people who were killed deserved justice, and so did our communities who continue to be targeted with violence like this," tweeted Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib. "This painful verdict sends a horrifying message that bringing violence to a protest for racial justice is acceptable. It's incitement, not justice."
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Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers activated 500 members of the Wisconsin National Guard last week to work with the local law enforcement due to the possibility of riots in response to the verdict.
"I urge folks who are otherwise not from the area to please respect the community by reconsidering any plans to travel there and encourage those who might choose to assemble and exercise their First Amendment rights to do so safely and peacefully," Evers said.
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