Kyle Rittenhouse kills 2 BLM protesters in Kenosha

On August 25, 2020, 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse drove across state lines from Illinois to Kenosha, Wisconsin with an AR-15-style rifle during BLM protests following the police shooting of Jacob Blake. Rittenhouse shot and killed two protesters, Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber, and wounded a third. Trump defended Rittenhouse at a press briefing, suggesting Rittenhouse "was in very big trouble" and acted in self-defense. An internal DHS document obtained by NBC News showed Trump officials were directed to make public comments sympathetic to Rittenhouse, including saying he went to Kenosha "to help defend small business owners." After acquittal, Trump met with Rittenhouse at Mar-a-Lago, called him "really a nice young man," and posed for photos with him. Rittenhouse became a right-wing celebrity, embraced by Republican politicians.