Hogan Gidley, the Trump 2020 campaign spokesman, defended President Trump’s plan to travel to Kenosha, Wisconsin, this week, as state officials urge him to delay the visit.
“The president all along has been fighting against so much of this criminality, this lawlessness, this death and destruction all across the country,” Mr. Gidley said on Fox News Monday. “He wants to go there and begin to work, to heal.”
Mr. Trump is set to visit Kenosha on Tuesday, despite Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers and other state officials pushing back on his decision, arguing it would only incite further unrest.
Mr. Gidley said it “doesn’t matter” what Mr. Trump does, he’d face criticism from Democrats even if he decided to not visit the area.
Protests began in Wisconsin last week after Jacob Blake, a black man, was shot several times in the back by police responding to a domestic dispute.
The demonstrations turned violent and left at least two dead after a “vigilante” came from out of state.
Mr. Gidley said the Trump administration actively discourages “any citizen to try and take the law into their own hands” but argued Democrats were leaving people without hope by curbing police powers.
He also slammed Democrats, particularly presidential nominee Joseph R. Biden, for framing the president as someone fanning the flames of unrest, despite not mentioning the violence at their convention earlier this month.
“They know that chaos breaks in their favor,” he said.
• Gabriella Muñoz can be reached at gmunoz@washingtontimes.com.
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