Kyle Rittenhouse has a message for President Joe Biden.
Asked what his reaction is to Biden calling him a âwhite supremacistâ in a 2020 campaign ad, Rittenhouse told Fox Newsâ Tucker Carlson, âMr. President, if I could say one thing to you, I would urge you to go back and watch the trial, and understand the facts before you make a statement.â
He added, âItâs actual malice; defaming my character for him to say something like that.â
Check out his comments below (staring around 6:00):
A picture of Rittenhouse was shown in a video that Biden previously tweeted out where he wrote that then-President Donald Trump ârefused to disavow white supremacists on the debate stage.â
When asked why Biden labeled Rittenhouse a white supremacist, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said during a press briefing last week, âWhat Iâm not going to speak to right now is anything about an ongoing trial, nor the presidentâs past comments. What I can reiterate for you is the presidentâs view that we shouldnât have, broadly speaking, vigilantes patrolling our communities with assault weapons.â
She added, âWe shouldnât have opportunists corrupting peaceful protests by rioting and burning down the communities they claim to represent.â
Rittenhouse was acquitted on all charges in his murder trial on Friday, as IJR reported on. He was charged with five felonies. He killed two people and wounded another during unrest last summer in Kenosha, Wisconsin, after the police shooting of Jacob Blake.
When testifying during the trial, Rittenhouse broke down and said, âI didnât do anything wrong. I defended myself.â
Reacting to Rittenhouseâs acquittal, Biden told reporters on Friday, âI stand by what the jury has concluded. The jury system works, and we have to abide by it.â
Biden also issued a statement on Friday, writing, âWhile the verdict in Kenosha will leave many Americans feeling angry and concerned, myself included, we must acknowledge that the jury has spoken.â
He continued, âI ran on a promise to bring Americans together, because I believe that what unites us is far greater than what divides us. I know that weâre not going to heal our countryâs wounds overnight, but I remain steadfast in my commitment to do everything in my power to ensure that every American is treated equally, with fairness and dignity, under the law.â
