Trump 'did photo op with former owner of destroyed Kenosha shop - after current one refused'
"I think everything he does turns into a circus and I just didn't want to be involved in it," says Tom Gram.
Wednesday 2 September 2020 17:45, UK
Donald Trump staged a photo opportunity with a former storekeeper during his visit to Kenosha after the current owner of the destroyed business refused to take part, it has been claimed.
The US president toured the Wisconsin city on Tuesday after protests in recent days turned violent.
People have been demonstrating for days in Kenosha after Jacob Blake, a 29-year-old black man, was shot seven times in the back by a white police officer on 23 August.
Mr Blake survived the shooting but has been left paralysed from the waist down.
Several people have lost their businesses amid violence during .
And in footage of Mr Trump's visit to the affected areas, he is shown speaking to a man called John Rode, who is seen standing in front of a severely damaged building.
The president describes him as "John Rode III, owner of Rode's Camera Shop" during a roundtable discussion.
But Tom Gram told TMJ4 News that he was the current owner of the shop, having bought it from Mr Rode eight years ago.
He described how he was approached by the White House to appear with the president, but declined.
"I think everything he does turns into a circus and I just didn't want to be involved in it," he told the news station.
He added that he felt Mr Trump's description of the shop as "his [Mr Rode's] store" suggested Mr Rode still owned it.
A post about the shop's history on its official website says: "Rode's Camera Shop reached a major milestone of being in business for 100 years in 2011.
"John Rode III decided he was ready to retire and enjoy golf and his grandchildren and sold the business to his employees so they could benefit from the fruits of their labour."
According to TMJ4 News, records show Mr Rode still owns the building the business is based in, but not the business itself.
During the broadcast, Mr Rode praised Mr Trump's actions, which included announcing a federal government provision of $1m (£750,000) to local law enforcement in Wisconsin, $4m (£3m) for small businesses and $42m (£31m) to support public safety statewide.
Mr Rode said: "I just appreciate President Trump coming today, everybody here does. We're so thankful we got the federal troops here. Once they got here things did calm down quite a bit."
But Mr Gram condemned the president's actions, saying: "I think he needs to bring this country together rather than divide it."
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"I think there's a lot of good people in this community and to say that only law enforcement is correct is not the message we need to hear right now."
Sky News has contacted the family of Mr Rode and The White House for comment.