Kyle Rittenhouse backtracks on Trump criticism over gun rights

Rittenhouse initially backed Ron Paul for president due to Trump’s stance on Second Amendment rights.

Kyle Rittenhouse, known for his controversial trial that made him a cause célèbre among US conservatives, recently walked back his criticism of Donald Trump following conversations with the former president's team.

Initially, Rittenhouse, who is currently the outreach director for Texas Gun Rights, indicated support for writing in Ron Paul instead of voting for Trump, criticising Trump’s stance on gun rights as inadequate.

In an online post early Friday, Rittenhouse stated, "Unfortunately, Donald Trump has bad advisers, making him bad on the Second Amendment." He added, "If you cannot be completely uncompromising on the Second Amendment, I will not vote for you." He urged for "champions for the Second Amendment," warning that without them, "our rights will be eaten away and eroded each day."

However, Rittenhouse later described his initial remarks as "ill-informed and unproductive" after engaging in "a series of productive conversations" with Trump's team. He declared, "I'm 100% behind Donald Trump and encourage every gun owner to join me in helping send him back to the White House."

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

Rittenhouse's initial post echoed criticisms from the National Association for Gun Rights, highlighting Trump's previous support for policies such as raising the minimum age for gun purchases and the 2018 ban on bump stocks, which the Supreme Court overturned.

Donald Trump, now the Republican presidential nominee, has repeatedly vowed to protect gun rights if elected in the upcoming November election. Earlier this year, he told the National Rifle Association that any "Biden attack" on gun rights would be terminated immediately upon taking office.