Kyle Rittenhouse, the cherubic-faced MAGA supporter who killed two men in Kenosha, Wisconsin, during the Jacob Blake protests in 2020, is being dragged on social media for juxtaposing his circumstances with those of Donald Trump.
The 20-year-old painted himself as a victim to his one million followers on Twitter, telling his audience if authorities come after him and the former president, they’ll also target anyone reading Rittenhouse’s message.
“They came after me for self-defense. I’ve since said that if they come after me, not a public figure, just a random American kid, that they will come after you, too,” Rittenhouse said in an April 4 tweet. “They are now coming after a former president of the US. If they come after him. I promise you, they will come after you.”
Rittenhouse made national news as a teen when he used an AR-15-style rifle to fatally shoot two unarmed men during the protests. On Aug. 25, 2020, the then-17-year-old, left his hometown of Antioch, Illinois, and crossed state lines to join other armed civilians to police businesses they believed to be under attack by the demonstrators.
While on patrol, Rittenhouse fatally wounded 26-year-old Anthony Huber and 36-year-old Joseph Rosenbaum. Neither man had weapons in their possession at the time they were killed.
Also shot and injured by the teen was 27-year-old Gaige Grosskreutz, who was armed.
In 2021, when he was being tried for murder and attempted murder, the court heard testimony that the men chased Rittenhouse because they thought he was an active shooter sniping at protesters. However, his lawyers convinced the jury that he acted in self-defense, and he was acquitted on all counts.
Supporters of the young man celebrated his trial victory. However, shortly afterward John Huber, the father of one of the men killed by Rittenhouse, filed a civil lawsuit over his son’s wrongful death.
For Rittenhouse, the civil case is evidence that he is being targeted by the left, Black Lives Matter, and other organizations that critiqued his actions.
After Trump was indicted, becoming the first president ever to be called to face criminal charges in court, Rittenhouse took to social to compare it to his plight.
While his supporters believed that he was right to compare his travails to Trump’s, many on Twitter dragged him for clout chasing and framing himself as a victim.
“They won’t come after you if you don’t break the law Kyle,” @r_mcjim wrote.
Another person tweeted, “’ They came after me’… seems to be a trend for you. Nobody ‘came after you’ until you killed two people.”
Some just mocked him.
“Your facts are twisted, kid. Stay off the kool-aid,” Plantman Seeko tweeted.
One Twitter user wrote Rittenhouse is “Just a random entitled American sh–head who crossed state lines with a gun that wasn’t his and instigated the deaths of people who wouldn’t have died had he stayed the f–k home. Yeah, I mean, if they can arrest you, they can go after anyone!”
Cherrie Pie 7 just called him a “delusional mass murderer,” referencing the deaths during the Blake protests.
Rittenhouse may believe he is being unduly targeted because is currently facing two civil lawsuits regarding the shootings.
Huber’s federal complaint was filed in the First Eastern District of Wisconsin and originally only mentioned the city. In 2022, Rittenhouse’s name was attached to that filing. In February 2023, he was also added to another civil case originally filed in October 2021 by Grosskreutz.
To assist in his legal fees, close friends of Rittenhouse started a GiveSendGo campaign to raise half a million dollars.
He tweeted the link out twice on April 4, writing, “My story is not over yet, I am still being sued by two people. Because of this, I do not have the finances to sue media outlets for the defamation, yet. I promise you I’m not giving up yet. This is not just an attack on me, it’s all of us.”
In the seven months since the campaign has been live, the crowdfunding effort has raised $277,969, over half of the target goal.
