Wisconsin Governor Asks Trump Not to Visit

'Now is not the time,' says Tony Evers, but trip is still on for Tuesday
By Newser Editors,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 31, 2020 6:36 AM CDT
Wisconsin Governor Asks Trump Not to Visit
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers speaks during a news conference Thursday, Aug. 27, 2020, in Kenosha, Wis.   (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

President Trump plans to visit the hot spot of Kenosha, Wis., on Tuesday, and the state's governor isn't happy about it. In a letter to the president on Sunday, Tony Evers asked Trump to reconsider, reports Fox News. “I am concerned your presence will only hinder our healing,” Evers wrote. “I am concerned your presence will only delay our work to overcome division and move forward together.” The state's lieutenant governor made a similar appeal earlier Sunday, but the White House says the trip is still on. "The White House has been humbled by the outreach of individuals from Kenosha who have welcomed the president’s visit and are longing for leadership to support local law enforcement and businesses that have been vandalized,” the White House said in a statement.

Trump plans to meet with law enforcement in the city and to survey damage from protests in the wake of the police shooting of Jacob Blake, per CNN. It wasn't clear as of Monday morning whether the president would meet with Blake's family. Unrest in Kenosha and elsewhere has become a flashpoint in the 2020 campaign, with Trump blaming Democratic lawmakers for riots and looting, notes the Washington Post. Biden, meanwhile, is blaming the president for "recklessly encouraging violence." Says Evers in his letter: "Now is not the time for divisiveness." (Trump and Portland's Democratic mayor are sparring publicly over that city's violence.)

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