Vance discusses law and order at the scene of Wisconsin riots

KENOSHA, Wisconsin — Sen. JD Vance (R-OH) claimed he and former President Donald Trump are the ones maintaining law and order during a visit to a city ravaged by riots in 2020.

Vance made a brief campaign tour of Kenosha on Tuesday, touting the Trump campaign’s anti-crime agenda and pledging to support police. The event, held against the backdrop of the Kenosha County Courthouse, came as the campaign secured the support of the Kenosha Professional Police Association.

Kenosha was the scene of riots in August 2020 after the police shot and killed Jacob Blake, causing millions of dollars in damage and destroying dozens of buildings.

“Who was it that calmed the streets of Wisconsin and kept those riots from spiraling out of control and setting the whole city on fire? It was President Donald J. Trump,” Vance told the crowd of supporters.

“Without that, I truly believe Kenosha would still be recovering from those horrible riots today,” he added.

Republican Senate candidate Eric Hovde and Rep. Bryan Steil (R-WI) also spoke at the law enforcement-focused rally.

Vance took the opportunity to praise Trump’s tenure, saying Trump’s efforts in law enforcement and crime fighting are proof that they are a good thing for people concerned about crime in Wisconsin and across the country.

“It’s very easy and very fun to criticize Kamala Harris’ policies, but we also have to remind ourselves that we don’t just have a vision for the Trump campaign, we don’t just have a set of promises about the Trump campaign — we have four years of Donald Trump’s successful leadership behind us,” Vance said of Trump’s tenure as public safety official.

He also addressed illegal immigration, promising to end so-called sanctuary cities and deport migrants who have already entered the country illegally.

Republicans have used the surge in illegal immigration in recent years as an indictment of Biden’s leadership, and have warned of crime linked to the new people crossing the borders.

“We are going to deport the violent illegal aliens who have come into this country over the last two years. No more free rides,” Vance said.

Trump has laid out a vision of law-and-order conservatism. He has said he would take a much more aggressive stance on crime, seeking to crack down on drug traffickers, human traffickers and the Mexican cartels.

“We’re going to support the death penalty for drug dealers because they kill far more people than some of the most violent and vicious criminals,” Vance said in Kenosha.

Trump has proposed extraordinary efforts to combat the drug overdose epidemic, including mobilizing the military against Mexican cartels that traffic drugs. Part of that would be a naval embargo on cartel operations, and part would be direct military action to inflict “maximum damage” on cartels.

After the campaign rally, Vance stopped by Tenuta’s, a local deli and grocery store, where he mingled with guests and ordered an Italian dish and some olives.

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Also on Tuesday, Vance faced questions from reporters about topics other than crime and law enforcement. In response to a question from the Washington ExaminerVance believes the campaign can win over union voters because it is committed to protecting domestic jobs and imposing tariffs on products from China.

“He’s the one who says, if the Chinese want to use slave labor and then import stuff into our country, then we’re going to put tariffs on the stuff they make with slave labor, and then we’re going to protect the jobs of American workers,” Vance said.