Kyle Rittenhouse has sparked outrage on social media after sharing a post in which he baselessly stated that President Joe Biden “is gay.”
Taking to X, formerly Twitter, on June 1, Rittenhouse shared the post: “Joe Biden is gay.”
Rittenhouse added no other information to the post, which as of press time has garnered more than 2.5 million views. Newsweek has contacted representatives of Biden and Rittenhouse via email for comment.
Joe Biden is gay.
— Kyle Rittenhouse (@ThisIsKyleR) June 1, 2024
The post sparked a wave of backlash from X users, one of whom responded: “When you have nothing of substance to say you post things like this.”
“You have a lot of growing up to do Kyle. A whole lot,” read another comment.
Another weighed in: “Kyle accidentally posting his support for pride month by imagining the president being so much cooler than he is.”
“‘You’re gay’ is a very lame insult in 2024,” said another. “That being said, Kyle Rittenhouse is not in a position to insult anyone.”
“That’s good, Kyle. Stick to short sentences and you won’t get mocked anymore,” quipped one detractor, while another asked: “What’s wrong with being gay?”
While Rittenhouse was roundly criticized for his post, he was also defended by a number of supporters.
“Kyle has successfully turned the word ‘gay’ back into an insult, and the Left is accepting it and trying to use it back at him,” said one as they mocked the outrage.
“Never deleting this app,” a supporter wrote in appreciation of Rittenhouse’s post, while another chimed in: “Spoken like a true Patriot.”
Last month, Rittenhouse also faced criticism on social media after saying a group of Native Americans should leave the United States.
He made the remark in response to a viral photo posted on X in February. The image shows three people raising their middle fingers at the Mount Rushmore National Memorial. The South Dakota sculpture features the images of four U.S. presidents—George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt—etched into the side of a mountain.
“F*** the USA … ITS ALL STOLEN LAND,” the photo’s caption said. As of press time, the post had received more than 80 million views.
On May 19, Rittenhouse added his voice to the conversation, writing in response, “Then leave.”
The 21-year-old came to public attention in August 2020 when, at the age of 17, he shot and killed two men—Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, and Anthony Huber, 26—as well as injured then 26-year-old Paul Prediger, then known as Gaige Grosskreutz, at a protest in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
Rittenhouse said the three shootings, carried out with a semi-automatic AR-15-style firearm, were in self-defense. They took place at the Black Lives Matter (BLM) protest held after Jacob Blake, a Black man, was left paralyzed from the waist down from being shot by a white police officer.
Rittenhouse was acquitted of all charges in November 2021, including charges of first-degree intentional homicide, attempted first-degree intentional homicide, first-degree reckless homicide, and two charges of first-degree recklessly endangering safety. He later said he supported the BLM movement, adding that he was at the demonstration to “protect businesses and provide medical assistance.”
Over the past several months, Rittenhouse has released a book, promoted a body armor kit and related products, and made appearances on select college campuses on invitation from their respective Turning Point USA chapters.
Read the full article here
