Less than a day after he claimed he wouldn’t vote for former President Donald Trump, conservative activist Kyle Rittenhouse changed his tune Friday.
In a swift turnaround, Rittenhouse posted on Friday afternoon that his previous comments were unproductive. “Over the past 12 hours, I’ve had a series of productive conversations with members of Trump’s team, and I am confident he will be the strong ally gun owners need to defend our Second Amendment rights,” he wrote.
Over the past 12 hours, I’ve had a series of productive conversations with members of the Trump’s team and I am confident he will be the strong ally gun owners need to defend our Second Amendment rights.
My comments made last night were ill-informed and unproductive. I’m 100%…
— Kyle Rittenhouse (@ThisIsKyleR) August 2, 2024
“My comments made last night were ill-informed and unproductive. I’m 100% behind Donald Trump and encourage every gun owner to join me in helping send him back to the White House.”
This marks a complete shift from his previous declaration that he planned to write in former Republican Texas Rep. Ron Paul. The change in his stance comes less than a day after Rittenhouse released a video on Twitter criticizing Trump’s Second Amendment policies and stating he would not vote for him.
Official statement from @ThisIsKyleR on the 2024 presidential race. pic.twitter.com/nNBtwBH6pD
— Dudley Brown (@dudleywbrown) August 2, 2024
“Unfortunately, Donald Trump had bad advisors making him bad on the Second Amendment, and that is my issue,” he argued. “If you cannot be completely uncompromisable on the Second Amendment, I will not vote for you, and I will write somebody else in.” (RELATED: Kyle Rittenhouse Blames Chaotic Campus Event On University)
His stance followed intense backlash from Trump supporters online, with many expressing feelings of betrayal and disappointment over Rittenhouse’s initial video. Critics on Twitter voiced their discontent. “I regret ever supporting Kyle. He’s flat out lying about Trump,” a user wrote. “Kyle chose to betray his nation and those that supported him. Sad! Going to be amusing when he tries to grovel back to Mar-a-Lago in a few months.”
Rittenhouse’s alignment with conservative causes and his advocacy for gun rights have kept him in the public eye since his acquittal in fall 2021. He was charged with first-degree intentional homicide but claimed self-defense during the protests against police brutality in Kenosha, Wisconsin, in which he fatally shot two people and injured another.