President Donald Trump is set to visit Kenosha, Wisconsin on Tuesday amid growing tensions over the police shooting of Jacob Blake.
However, Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes said that the President should not travel this week, as his presence would not be helpful.
White House spokesperson Judd Deere said that the President will be meeting with law enforcement officers and will survey the damages from the recent protests that unexpectedly turned destructive.
Trump has been blaming the Democrats for violence in the city and promised to restore “law and order” in Kenosha and in Portland, Oregon.
“You look at the incendiary remarks that the President has made, they centered an entire convention around creating more animosity and creating more division around what is going on in Kenosha,” the governor said in an interview.
“So, I don’t know how given any of the previous statements that the President made that he intends to come here to be helpful. And we absolutely don’t need that right now.”
The White House replied to Barnes’ comment on Sunday, and said, “What was the Lt. Governor’s solution to the recent riots in Kenosha? Without the leadership of President Trump, Kenosha and its citizens would still be living in fear.”
Blake’s family spoke at a peaceful rally in Kenosha on Saturday.
“We’re not going to stop,” said Blake’s father, Jacob Sr.
“We’re still suffering because there are two justice systems. There’s one for that white boy [Rittenhouse] that walked down the street and killed two people and blew another man’s arm off. Then there’s one for my son.”
“What gave them the right to think that my son was an animal?” he added.
The President had been critical of the protests against police brutality and systemic racism since the police killing of George Floyd in May.