The Democratic mayor of Kenosha, Wisconsin, lauded the National Guard for helping quell violence seen in the city since the shooting of Jacob Blake.
“I will tell you, though, that the National Guard has been extremely helpful, and we feel comfortable that we can keep the president safe and keep the public safe. Mostly, we need to try to make sure that there’s calm in the community, and that is what we are hoping to maintain,” Mayor John Antaramian said during an interview on CNN this week.
He also detailed the process to get the National Guard on the ground, saying it took just 12 hours but that it was not due to President Trump’s urging.
“The city made the request for the National Guard to come in. The governor immediately dealt with it, and within 12 hours after the request had been done, the Guard was in Kenosha,” he said.
“The governor actually had implemented the Guard on Sunday or Monday morning early to have the Guard come in. And so, that was long before any discussions with the president,” he added.
Trump is slated to visit Kenosha on Tuesday, following the police shooting during Blake’s arrest in August. Blake is reportedly paralyzed due to the multiple gunshot wounds.
“We must strictly and fully enforce our law and have no tolerance for anarchy and no tolerance — zero — for violence,” Trump said during a press conference Monday. “Anyone who breaks the law should be arrested, prosecuted, and punished.”
Antaramian lauding the National Guard comes after Trump denounced Mayor Ted Wheeler of Portland, Oregon, for refusing to accept federal assistance in quelling the riots in the city.
“Our great National Guard could solve these problems in less than 1 hour. Local authorities must ask before it is too late. People of Portland, and other Democrat run cities, are disgusted with Schumer, Pelosi, and their [sic] local ‘leaders’. They want Law & Order!” Trump tweeted on Sunday.
