Kenosha County Sheriff David Beth said Tuesday he is endorsing President Donald Trump for reelection, saying he thinks there is “a huge difference” between the president and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden.
“The difference is Trump … We asked for any help that the president and the federal government could give and the relay came back that whatever help you need, you’ve got it.”
Trump visited Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Aug. 31 after protests and riots erupted followed the shooting of Jacob Blake. Democratic Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers discouraged the president from coming, saying his presence would “only hinder our healing.”
Biden also headed to the city on Sept. 3. (RELATED: We Witnessed The Kenosha Shootings. Here’s What Really Happened)
The sheriff said that within 24 hours of seeking assistance “a lot of federal resources came and within 48 hours the president himself came here and stood in the area that was damaged.” He added that Trump met with the victims of the riots and “came and talked to the chief of police and myself and did a round table.” He said that added up to “a huge difference between the two candidates running for president here in Kenosha.”
“I wasn’t invited to meet with Joe Biden,” Beth continued. “Trump did [invite me],” the sheriff noted, saying that the president asked what kind of resources the community needed to recover from the chaos.
Beth said that besides the rioting, there were also “a lot of peaceful protests” in Kenosha and that some of the “agitators” who engaged in the looting and rioting were from outside of the community. He said it is “disheartening” to consider that “other people would pay to keep … the rioters” out of jail.
Fires burn during a second night of rioting on Aug. 24, 2020 in Kenosha, Wisconsin. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
The sheriff said he hopes to hear what both Trump and Biden have to say about long-term healing in Kenosha. “Where are we going to foster the bond between law enforcement — the men and women that protect our communities — and our communities themselves — the men, women and children that are out there.” (RELATED: Sheriff Joining Republican Party Because Democratic Leadership Has Condoned ‘101 Days Of Rioting’)
Beth said he wanted “to get it to the point that the 12-year-old student … doesn’t believe he is going to prison like the rest of his family did. I want to see how we can make, as a country, these kids that are in grade school believe they are going to succeed in life and not that they are in trouble for a few years down the road.”