Trump has no plans to meet with Jacob Blake's family on Kenosha visit, White House says
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump is not planning to meet with the family of Jacob Blake, a Black man who was shot multiple times in the back by a police officer in Kenosha, Wisconsin, when he travels there Tuesday, the White House said.
Trump will travel to Kenosha, amid heightened protests over racial injustice and police brutality, to meet with "local enforcement, some business owners and he'll survey the damage," White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany told reporters Monday. She added that a detailed scheduled would be released later in the day.
The president told reporters at a press conference Monday evening that he was not planning to meet with the family because they wanted to involve lawyers.
"I thought it would be better not to do anything where there are lawyers involved," Mr Trump said. "They wanted me to speak but they wanted to have lawyers involved and I thought that was inappropriate so I didn't do that."
Following the press briefing, Jacob Blake Sr. told CNN: "I'm not going to play politics. This is my son's life we're talking about."
Blake's father and family's attorney, Benjamin Crump, confirmed to CNN that the family wanted their legal team involved in the call with the president. Crump also said he sat in on the call when the Blake family spoke to Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.
"Because while they're concentrating on their son's life they want us to concentrate on the fight for justice," Crump said. "Clients want to have assurances that their lawyers are helping guide them through this very difficult process."
Trump said that he spoke to the family's pastor and they had a "great talk." He added that "I may at some point do that, but they did have a lawyer that wanted to be on the phone and I said no. That's inappropriate, but I did just give my best regards."
The family's legal team - Crump, Patrick Salvi II and B’Ivory LaMarr - confirmed in a statement that Trump reached out to the pastor of Jacob Blake's mother, Julia Jackson, to arrange a phone call.
The pastor referred the White House to the legal team and the president declined to participate in a call with lawyers sitting in on the call, according to the statement said.
"The family’s primary objectives are to support Jacob’s recovery and to ensure justice for him," the statement said. "If the call had occurred, Ms. Jackson was prepared to ask President Trump to watch the video of Mr. Blake’s shooting and to do what she has asked all of America to do - examine your heart.”
McEnany said earlier during an appearance on "Fox & Friends" that the White House had yet to connect with the Blake family but hold them "close to our hearts."
“We are efforting outreach, have not been able to connect yet. So tomorrow the plan is so far to go and to meet with law enforcement and to look at the damage from the riots, but we are holding his family close to our hearts,” she said.
Protests erupted last week after video footage showed police shooting Blake seven or eight times, with less than three minutes elapsing between the time the first officer arrived on the scene and shots being fired. Blake, 29, is in critical condition in the hospital and is paralyzed from the waist down. His children witnessed the shooting.
"He is devastated knowing that he can't move his legs and that his three young boys witnessed him being shot in that car," Crump told MSNBC.
More: A visual timeline of violence in Kenosha after police shooting of Jacob Blake
The Justice Department has launched a civil rights probe into the shooting while local and state authorities have also opened investigations.
When asked about the shooting during a trip to New Hampshire Friday, Trump told local news outlet WMUR: “Well I’m looking into it very strongly. I’ll be getting reports and I’ll certainly let you know pretty soon,” he said.
“It was not a good sight. I didn’t like the sight of it, certainly, and I think most people would agree with that.”
Demonstrations have also turned deadly in the days following Blake's shooting. Police arrested 17-year-old Illinois resident Kyle Rittenhouse in the shooting deaths of two protesters. In a video recorded before the incident, a person who appears to be Rittenhouse described himself as a member of a "militia" dedicated to protecting Kenosha.
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers has asked Trump to cancel his trip to Wisconsin amid ongoing tensions. The Democratic governor said he was concerned the president's trip would only incite more violence.
More: Jacob Blake's family reacts to him being shot by police amid reports he is paralyzed
More: Fact check: Jacob Blake did not 'brandish' knife, get gun before Kenosha police shooting
"I am concerned your presence will only hinder our healing," Evers wrote Trump in a letter on Sunday. "I am concerned your presence will only delay our work to overcome division and move forward together."
When asked whether his presence in Kenosha could increase ongoing tensions, Trump defended his decision.
"It could also increase enthusiasm. And it could increase love and respect for our country. And that is why I'm going," he said.
Trump has made police protests and urban violence major issues in his reelection campaign, arguing that a victory by Joe Biden and the Democrats would usher in an era of lawlessness.
Biden has responded by pointing out that the violence has erupted on Trump's watch. He has accused Trump of stoking divisions that have laid the groundwork for clashes in cities like Portland and Kenosha.
Contributing: Rebecca Morin
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump Kenosha trip: No plans to meet Jacob Blake family
