Donald Trump Jr. deferred passing judgment on Kenosha gunman Kyle Rittenhouse, but he acknowledged that everybody does “stupid things” when they are as old as the accused teen.
“We’re waiting for due process. We’re not jumping to a conclusion,” President Trump’s eldest son and namesake said during an interview aired Tuesday on the entertainment television show “Extra.”
“I don’t want 17-year-olds kids running around the streets with AR-15s. Maybe I wouldn’t have put myself in that situation, who knows? But we all do stupid things at 17,” Mr. Trump Jr. added.
Rachel Lindsay, the host of “Extra,” interjected to say Mr. Rittenhouse has been accused of behavior “a little beyond stupid.”
“Really stupid, fine,” conceded Mr. Trump Jr. “But we all have to let due process play out and let due process take its course.”
Mr. Rittenhouse, of Antioch, Illinois, is accused of fatally shooting two people and injuring another on the evening of Aug. 25 in nearby Kenosha, Wisconsin’s fourth-largest city.
Lawyers defending Mr. Rittenhouse have said he was in Kenosha “to deter property damage” after protests taking place the night before descended into riots and local businesses were looted.
Video captured Mr. Rittenhouse being chased by a few individuals immediately before the shootings. His legal team asserted he acted in self-defense and have predicted he will be acquitted.
The president, on his part, also suggested video footage seems to show the teen acted in self-defense. “He probably would have been killed,” Mr. Trump said last week
Mr. Rittenhouse was arrested within hours of the shooting and is currently being held in Illinois. He has been charged with first-degree intentional homicide, reckless homicide, attempted intentional homicide and recklessly endangering safety.
• Andrew Blake can be reached at ablake@washingtontimes.com.
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