The far-right didn't take kindly to Kyle Rittenhouse after he criticized former President Donald Trump's Second Amendment stance, baselessly accusing him of being transgender in an attempt to discredit him.
Rittenhouse has long been a darling among the right since he was acquitted of all charges relating to the fatal shootings of Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber and injuring Gaige Grosskreutz during the 2020 Kenosha unrest, sparked by the shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man who was left paralyzed from the waist down after being shot by a white police officer.
Rittenhouse, in a since-deleted X post, said Trump was “bad on the Second Amendment," adding:
“If you cannot be completely un-compromisable on the Second Amendment, I will not vote for you. We need champions for the Second Amendment or our rights would be eaten away and eroded each day.”
He said he would instead write in Ron Paul, a former GOP Representative and Libertarian candidate for president, as his choice on Election Day, adding:
“I support my decision and I make no take backs.”
But MAGA fans, particularly the QAnon account "Isaac's Army," quickly turned on him by launching transphobic attacks.
@ReturnofKappy/X
@ReturnofKappy/X
At one point, Rittenhouse was even accused of being a crisis actor during the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting that resulted in the deaths of 20 children and six adult staff members.
@NotOpCue/X
The smear campaign certainly seemed to get to Rittenhouse because just hours later, he backtracked, writing:
"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% behind Donald Trump and encourage every gun owner to join me in helping send him back to the White House."
You can see his post below.
And the mockery was even swifter than his about-face.
The response to Rittenhouse's statement was a pretty stunning online pile-on, proving how quickly MAGA adherents will turn on anyone who doesn't march in lockstep behind Trump.
After he was acquitted of murdering two people and injuring a third, Rittenhouse became even more of a far-right celebrity. He had been charged with first-degree crimes and legal pundits cited reasonable doubt on the requirements for a first-degree conviction as the only reason he was acquitted. Had Rittenhouse been charged with 2nd-degree homicide or manslaughter, they surmise he would have been found guilty.
Since his acquittal, Rittenhouse has attended several events hosted by conservative organizations and individuals, including a meeting with Trump and ex-Fox News personality Tucker Carlson, using his newfound notoriety to mock his detractors and raise funds.
@jaketapoer/Bluesky
@BillAckman/Twitter