Trump praises law enforcement, slams protests and attacks press as he left for Kenosha

President Donald Trump speaks to the media before boarding Air Force One for a trip to Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Tuesday, September 1, at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland. Evan Vucci/AP

President Trump claimed Tuesday that the press is more to blame for fueling ongoing demonstrations across the country than his Democratic opponent, Joe Biden. 

After claiming without evidence once again that a planeload of violent criminals dressed in black flew together to stir up civil unrest, Trump spoke about ongoing protests. 

Then the President laid into the media for its coverage of demonstrations.  

“You people, I tell ya, if we only had an honest press in this country. It would be much more advanced. But we have a very dishonest press,” he said, later adding, “The press should be ashamed of themselves. I think the press, the media is what’s fueling this, more so than even Biden, cause Biden doesn’t know he’s alive.”

Members of the National Guard stand inside a fenced area surrounding government buildings in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on August 27. Brandon Bell/Getty Images

President Trump said he's heading to Kenosha, Wisconsin today to show support for the National Guard and local law enforcement following the protests over the police shooting of 29-year-old Black father Jacob Blake.

Remember: President Trump has claimed he ordered National Guard troops into the city to quell rioting and restore order. But in reality, Democratic Gov. Tony Evers had already activated the troops before Trump called for their intervention.

According to Trump's public schedule, the President is expected to begin his trip to Kenosha today with a visit to a "property affected by recent riots." He's then scheduled to visit a local high school and the city's emergency operations center. Before departing Kenosha, he'll participate in a roundtable focused on community safety.

The President isn't expected to meet with the family of Blake, who was shot in the back seven times by a police officer. Trump claimed that he's not meeting with Blake's family during his Wisconsin visit because they wanted to involve lawyers.

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, left, and President Donald Trump. Getty Images

Democratic nominee Joe Biden declared yesterday that President Trump has made America a more dangerous place, blaming Trump for fomenting racial unrest.

The speech opened a new phase of the 2020 election, with both parties' national conventions now completed and Biden beginning to travel to swing states. In his first major campaign event after last week's Republican convention, the former vice president delivered a forceful response to Trump and his allies' racially charged claims that the looting and property damage that has taken place amid protests over racial injustice in some cities would spread to the suburbs if Biden is elected in November.

Biden condemned violence and destruction, calling it an affront to the tactics of civil rights leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. and John Lewis.

"I want to be very clear about all of this: Rioting is not protesting. Looting is not protesting. Setting fires is not protesting. None of this is protesting. It's lawlessness, plain and simple. And those who do it should be prosecuted," Biden said. "Violence will not bring change, it will only bring destruction. It's wrong in every way."

Protests have erupted in the Wisconsin city of Kenosha and across the US since the police shooting last week of Jacob Blake, a 29-year-old Black man.

Here's what we know about the shooting and the protests that have followed:

Jacob Blake Sr., father of Jacob Blake, raises his fist in the air while speaking at the March on Washington, on Friday August 28, at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington. Jacquelyn Martin/Pool/AP

Jacob Blake's father said he is "not gonna play politics" following the shooting of his 29-year-old son.

CNN's Jim Acosta asked Jacob Blake Sr., "What is your reaction to the President saying he doesn't want to speak with you because your lawyer has to be on?" 

Blake Sr. responded, saying:

Later in the interview, Acosta followed up, "I am sure you would want to talk about your son and how he is doing, perhaps?" 

Blake Sr. said, "I am not getting into politics. It is all about my son, man. It has nothing to do with a photo op. It has to do with Jacob's operation." 

Referees stand on an empty court before the start of what would have been a game between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Orlando Magic in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, on August 26. The Milwaukee Bucks boycotted the playoff game following the police shooting of Jacob Blake. Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

Hours before he’s set to depart for Kenosha, Wisconsin, President Trump is already inflaming tensions as he lambasts protests against police brutality in the National Basketball Association and warns the National Football League and Major League Baseball not to follow suit. 

Some background: Across the sports world, athletes took a stand for Black Lives Matter last week by holding an unprecedented wildcat strike and refusing to play their regularly scheduled games.

The decision started with the NBA's Milwaukee Bucks and stemmed from the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha. The stand quickly spread across a number of sports — from basketball courts in Florida to baseball diamonds in California to soccer fields in places like Miami and Salt Lake City.

President Donald Trump listens during a meeting at the White House on July 31. Anna Moneymaker/Pool/Getty Images

President Trump is set to visit Kenosha, Wisconsin, today, going against the wishes of officials who have requested he stay away from the city, which is still coping from the recent shooting of an unarmed Black man by law enforcement and subsequent protests.

What's on his schedule: According to Trump's public schedule, the President is expected to begin his trip with a visit to a "property affected by recent riots." He's then scheduled to visit a local high school and the city's emergency operations center. Before departing Kenosha, he'll participate in a roundtable focused on community safety.

What's not on his schedule: The President isn't expected to meet with the family of Jacob Blake, the man was shot in the back seven times by a police officer. Trump claimed that he's not meeting with Blake's family during his Wisconsin visit because they wanted to involve lawyers.