Silent on Jacob Blake shooting

As he vows 'law and order,' Trump silent on Jacob Blake shooting

By Kevin Liptak

Even as President Donald Trump loudly pledges to restore "law and order" to a Wisconsin city gripped by protests, he has remained silent on what prompted the unrest: another police shooting of a Black man.

The absence of any presidential statement about the shooting that left 29-year-old Jacob Blake partially paralyzed underscores the fraught approach to safety and policing Trump is adopting as he runs for reelection: while he has railed against Democratic authorities for allowing violence in their cities, he has largely brushed off the events and circumstances that led to the unrest.

White House officials said Trump is wary of commenting on incidents before the details are fully known, though Blake was shot on Sunday and police in Kenosha, Wisconsin, have offered some details leading up to the incident.

On Monday morning he was briefed on the incident by Attorney General William Barr, though details about what happened were still vague at the time, according to a senior administration official.

He was briefed additional times later on Monday and Tuesday, and on Wednesday the Justice Department announced a federal civil rights investigation into Blake's shooting.

But Trump still hasn't addressed the incident itself, choosing to focus instead on the ensuing protests and the state's Democratic governor.

"We will NOT stand for looting, arson, violence, and lawlessness on American streets. My team just got off the phone with Governor Evers who agreed to accept federal assistance (Portland should do the same!)" Trump wrote.

"TODAY, I will be sending federal law enforcement and the National Guard to Kenosha, WI to restore LAW and ORDER!" he added.

Later, the White House said in a statement the federal government had deployed nearly 1,000 National Guardsmen and 200 federal law enforcement personnel, including FBI and US Marshalls, to Wisconsin.

Efforts have been made inside the White House to connect Trump with Blake's family, a White House official said, though by Wednesday evening it did not appear they had spoken. Trump's election-year rival Joe Biden said in a video on Wednesday he had spoken with members of Blake's family, including his mother.

"I told them 'justice must and will be done,' " Biden said in the video.

Speaking on CNN, Blake's mother Julia Jackson said she'd missed a phone call from Trump -- and said she had the "utmost respect for you as the leader of our country."

"Had I not missed your call maybe the comments you had made would have been different. I'm not mad at you at all," she said, though it wasn't clear which comments she was referencing.

At this week's Republican National Convention, speakers have sought to underscore Trump's efforts to quell protests in American cities this summer. Vice President Mike Pence, delivering Wednesday's keynote address, cited Wisconsin when listing US cities where he said violence had been permitted to rage.

"Last week, Joe Biden didn't say one word about the violence and chaos engulfing cities across this country," Pence said, vowing Trump would restore calm: "We will have law and order on the streets of this country for every American of every race and creed and color."

Yet like Trump, Pence did not mention the event that precipitated the violence in Wisconsin.

Wednesday's convention programming came against the backdrop of a burgeoning professional sports boycott, which included players from the NBA, WNBA, the pro tennis tour, Major League Baseball and Major League Soccer all refusing to play in protest of Blake's shooting.

Convention speakers this week have harshly criticized professional athletes for kneeling during the National Anthem, an earlier form of protest against police brutality and systemic racism. Pence himself walked out of an Indianapolis Colts game in 2017 when players knelt.

Speaking in television interviews on Thursday morning, members of Trump's staff minimized the recent player boycotts.

"In my mind, it's absurd and silly," said Marc Short, Pence's chief of staff, on CNN. "If they wanna protest, I don't think we care."

Jared Kushner, the President's son-in-law and senior adviser, offered an equally dismissive take.

"Look, I think that the NBA players are very fortunate that they have the financial position where they're able to take a night off from work without having to have the consequences to themselves financially so they have that luxury which is great," Kushner said on CNBC.