There was no crowd of supporters to greet Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden at the airport when he arrived in the battleground state of Wisconsin, Thursday, and as of 1:00 p.m., no crowd (other than his MSM supporters) had formed on the streets or in front of the Kenosha church where he was expected at 2:00 p.m. to hold a community event.
Reporters and photographers are awaiting the arrival of @JoeBiden at Grace Lutheran Church in #Kenosha, where he will meet with community leaders this afternoon. @WGNNews pic.twitter.com/rwE6Re7crs
— Mike Lowe (@MikeLoweReports) September 3, 2020
A different angle. There are no Biden supporters in sight. Only Media. Where is the support for Biden? He is scheduled to speak outside of #Kenosha Grace Lutheran in less than an hour. pic.twitter.com/Dd3zwiEssm
— Mythinformed (@MythinformedMKE) September 3, 2020
The former vice president and his wife Jill Biden arrived at a Milwaukee airport about 11:40 a.m. to little fanfare. The Bidens met privately with relatives of Jacob Blake, the accused rapist who was shot in the back by Kenosha police while he was resisting arrest. The shooting occurred on August 23, as police were attempting to arrest him for violating a restraining order stemming from the alleged sexual assault.
Police dispatch records show that the responding officers were aware he had an open warrant for felony sexual assault, according to dispatch records and the Kenosha Professional Police Association.
The shooting sparked days of violent and destructive riots that were only quelled when President Trump sent the National Guard to Kenosha to restore order.
Jacob Blake is a repeat offender with a lengthy rap sheet. Blake’s father, Jacob Blake St. is apparently raging anti-Semite, judging by many of his Facebook posts.
During a press conference in Delaware on Wednesday, Biden simply referred to the 29-year-old accused rapist as a “young man shot in the back seven times in front of his children,” after accusing President Trump of fanning the flames of racial resentment.
On Thursday, Biden spoke with the repeat offender by phone as if he was a martyred hero.
Joe Biden said he spoke to Jacob Blake, who is now out of the ICU, by phone for about 15 minutes. "He talked about how nothing was going to defeat him. How whether he walked again or not, he was not going to give up," Biden says.
— Sarah Mucha (@sarahmucha) September 3, 2020
The Bidens’ meeting at General Mitchell Airport in Milwaukee included Blake’s father Jacob Blake Sr., sister Letetra Widman, brother Myron Jackson, sister Zietha Blake and mother Julia Jackson, who attended by phone.
The one hour meeting was concluded at about 12:45 p.m, the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reported. It was closed to the media and the Bidens didn’t offer any details about the meeting after it concluded.
From there, the Bidens headed to Grace Lutheran Church in Kenosha for the community event.
By 1:50 p.m., dozens of people were milling around the church. Just a few dozen people were allowed inside the church to attend the event due to social distancing rules.
Scene outside the church right now. pic.twitter.com/6T8F3b2AUZ
— Alison Dirr (@AlisonDirr) September 3, 2020
.@JoeBiden has arrived at Grace Lutheran Church in Kenosha.
Just a few dozen people are allowed inside because of social distancing. pic.twitter.com/JHRpZJ6O0e
— Patrick Marley (@patrickdmarley) September 3, 2020
At the start of Biden’s meeting in Kenosha, Wisc., a man extends his hand to shake hands. “Can’t do that,” Biden says, before feeling the man’s biceps and exclaiming, “Nice guns!"
— Matt Viser (@mviser) September 3, 2020
Crowd gathered along the side of the church. pic.twitter.com/QciJHYOTWF
— Alison Dirr (@AlisonDirr) September 3, 2020
Not one American flag flown at Biden’s visit to #Kenosha Grace Lutheran. Is that normal for a Presidential candidate’s visit? pic.twitter.com/CbG5NY7t0D
— Mythinformed (@MythinformedMKE) September 3, 2020
At one point, a group of Black Lives Matter protesters marched through the small crowd of Biden supporters assembled outside the church.
A BLM protest just walked past the Church where Biden is speaking in #Kenosha. They just walked straight through. Does this count as support for Biden? pic.twitter.com/u877LBmgIZ
— Mythinformed (@MythinformedMKE) September 3, 2020
“F—k Donald Trump!” the BLM marchers chanted.
High on expletives. Low on solutions. — BLM protestors out demonstrating during Biden’s visit to Kenosha. pic.twitter.com/GwVjPLV9GX
— Mythinformed (@MythinformedMKE) September 3, 2020
Biden “supporters” here in #Kenosha seem to be more anti police than pro Biden. pic.twitter.com/98pNUssvu2
— Mythinformed (@MythinformedMKE) September 3, 2020
A couple of pro-life protesters were hounded and screamed at by a BLM marcher carrying a Pan African flag.
This is how opposing views are treated. Biden’s visit to #Kenosha pic.twitter.com/Q7KwKE7P2r
— Mythinformed (@MythinformedMKE) September 3, 2020
Meanwhile, inside the church, “Black Lives Matter” chants were heard.
Heard a chant of “Black Lives Matter” from the front of the church just now.
— Alison Dirr (@AlisonDirr) September 3, 2020
The notoriously liberal pastor prayed for God to allow Blake to walk again.
“We ask for justice for Jacob Blake,” Rev. Jonathan Barker said. “We ask for justice for our community here in Kenosha.”
Barker is the author of the book, “Jesus would demand a Green new Deal.”
Bidened reportedly spent most of his time listening to members of the community sound off.
The image that the Biden event in Kenosha, Wisc., seem meant to evoke: Joe Biden as a listener. Person after person from the community comes to the microphones as he sits at the front of the church, listening silently.
— Matt Viser (@mviser) September 3, 2020
The Democrat referenced the nine month occupation of the National Guard to Wilmington Delaware after violent demonstrations roiled the city following the death of Martin Luther King in 1968.
Joe Biden recounting Wilmington, Del., being occupied in the 1960s.
“Every single corner with a drawn bayonet, not a joke, for ten months.”
— Matt Viser (@mviser) September 3, 2020
After rambling on for a bit about his tax plan, Biden used an unfortunate and untimely figure of speech, telling the small group in the church that he couldn’t go on any further “or else they’ll shoot me.”
Joe Biden is Kenosha says that he can't lay out all his plans in more detail because if he goes on any longer "they'll shoot me." pic.twitter.com/N33k3wyuJl
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) September 3, 2020
In an effort to ingratiate himself to the mostly Black audience, Biden declared that a black man had invented the lightbulb, not Thomas Edison. He was probably referring to Lewis Howard Latimer, an Edison researcher who “patented a more efficient way of manufacturing carbon filaments” a couple of years after the lightbulb was invented.
Video: pic.twitter.com/GePbtYuQId
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) September 3, 2020
Live feed of the community event at Grace Lutheran Church:
Local Republicans mocked Joe Biden’s appearance in Wisconsin as a “desperation trip,” claiming that he “has been smoked out of his basement.”
“It’s really clear that this is just a desperation trip for Joe Biden,” said Andrew Hitt, chairman of the Republican Party of Wisconsin. “He’s finally been smoked out of the basement as a result of this, and this trip is nothing but a campaign, political ploy to try to stop the bleeding that is going on in Wisconsin for Joe Biden and his support.”
Correction:
An earlier version of this report attributed anti-Semitic Facebook posts to Jacob Blake. The anti-Semitic posts were from Jacob Blake Senior’s Facebook page.