Trump Jr. on Kyle Rittenhouse After Fatal Kenosha Shootings: 'We All Do Stupid Things at 17'

In an unsurprising act of downplaying violence, Donald Trump Jr. says he is "waiting for due process" regarding the case of Kyle Rittenhouse.

September 9, 2020

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Surprising no one, Donald Trump Jr.—whose father, in case this isn't clear, is Donald "Losers and Suckers" Trump—has chosen to downplay the actions of Kyle Rittenhouse.

The 17-year-old is now facing charges including first-degree intentional homicide after fatally shooting two Kenosha protesters and injuring another. In a recent interview with Extra TV, Trump Jr. was asked about Rittenhouse "coming across state lines and murdering two people."

Trump Jr. used this question to lament what he called "stupid things" that he claims to believe everyone does at that age, marking a stance that may have shocked everyone a few years back but is now just, quite depressingly, par for the course in the Trump era.

"We are waiting for due process," Trump Jr. said. "We are not jumping to a conclusion. If I put myself in Kyle Rittenhouse, maybe I shouldn't have been there. He's a young kid. I don't want 17-year-olds 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."

After it was pointed out that this doesn't at all mark a good example of someone simply doing a "stupid thing" because of age, Trump added: "Really stupid. Fine. But we all have to let that process play out."

Rittenhouse, who's from Illinois, is also facing additional charges including first-degree reckless homicide, attempted first-degree intentional homicide, and two counts of first-degree reckless endangerment. While Rittenhouse's legal team and his apparent supporters have argued that he acted in self-defense, many others have argued that his actions show that he crossed state lines with ill intent.