Kyle Rittenhouse Reverses Stance, Says He’s Backing Trump 100%

Kyle Rittenhouse, who was acquitted in 2021 as a teenager after a Wisconsin riot resulted in him killing and wounding three people in self-defense, stirred up significant criticism this week by publicly opposing former President Donald Trump.

On Thursday, Rittenhouse released a short video stating he couldn't support Trump due to the former president's stance on certain gun laws and would instead write in Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) in the upcoming fall election.

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However, within less than 12 hours — following a massive backlash on social media where many highlighted that Trump and his supporters had defended him during his trial — Rittenhouse reconsidered his position.

"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. 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," he posted on the X platform.

Rittenhouse first gained national attention after being acquitted of shooting two men during the George Floyd protests in August 2020. The jury concluded that his actions were a justified case of self-defense. Since then, Rittenhouse has become a vocal advocate for gun rights. His initial decision to not support Trump in the upcoming election was reportedly due to his perception of Trump's "weak" stance on the Second Amendment.

Reactions to Rittenhouse’s retraction were varied but leaned towards positive.

“Glad you came to your senses. Trump 2024. A vote for ANYONE else is a vote for gun-grabbing Kamala. Don’t let anyone take advantage of you,” one user commented on social media. “Bro didn’t even make it 12 hours lol,” another remarked on X. “Awesome to see man. The people that got nasty and attacked rather than offering mere disagreement should not be forgotten,” someone else replied.