The owner of a destroyed Kenosha store refused to meet with Trump. So Trump replaced him with a former owner.
![President Trump and the former owner of Rodes camera shop in Kenosha](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/tdMijuFeh7DoLWH8PyXmoP-415-80.jpg)
Tom Gram got a big surprise when he watched President Trump's visit to Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Tuesday.
Gram's century-old camera store burned down last week amid protests and unrest in Kenosha, and when Trump planned a visit, the White House asked Gram for a meeting. Gram refused, but that didn't stop the shop from becoming a stop on Trump's tour, Milwaukee NBC News affiliate TMJ4 reports.
When the White House called Gram on Monday and asked him to be part of a tour of destroyed businesses in Kenosha, he said no. "I think everything he does turns into a circus and I just didn't want to be involved in it," Gram said of Trump. But Rode's Camera Shop, which Gram bought from the Rode family eight years ago, still showed up on TV with the president. Instead of meeting with Gram, Trump met with former owner John Rode III and even introduced him as the "owner of Rode's Camera Shop." Rode reportedly still owns the building, but not the business.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
![https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516-320-80.jpg)
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Kenosha has seen constant protests after police shot Jacob Blake, a Black man, eight times in the back while he was getting into his car. He is still hospitalized and paralyzed from the waist down. The protests have turned violent and destructive at night as armed vigilantes have come to downtown Kenosha purporting to defend the city. A 17-year-old seemingly affiliated with these militia groups was charged with allegedly shooting and killing two protesters and injuring a third.
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers (D) and Kenosha Mayor John Antaramian (D) both asked Trump not to come on Tuesday, but he showed up anyway.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.
-
Nasa's 'strangest find': pure sulphur on Mars
Under the Radar Curiosity rover discovers elemental sulphur rocks, adding to 'growing evidence' of life-sustaining elements on Red Planet
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Bodycam shows deputy killing Black woman
Speed Read An Illinois deputy fatally shot Sonya Massey, who had called 911 about suspected trespassers
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
'Spare us the charade'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Anya Jaremko-Greenwold, The Week US Published
-
Menendez convicted of bribery, fraud, and extortion
Speed Read The New Jersey Democratic Senator was found guilty in a federal corruption trial
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Florida judge dismisses Trump documents case
Speed Read Judge Aileen Cannon ruled that special counsel Jack Smith was improperly appointed
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
How could J.D. Vance impact the special relationship?
Today's Big Question Trump's hawkish pick for VP said UK is the first 'truly Islamist country' with a nuclear weapon
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Hamas says military chief survived Israeli strike
Speed Read An Israeli bombing failed to hit its intended target, military commander Mohammed Deif, but killed at least 90 Palestinians
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Biden, Trump urge calm after assassination attempt
Speed Reads A 20-year-old gunman grazed Trump's ear and fatally shot a rally attendee on Saturday
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
First Israeli report on Oct. 7 finds 'severe mistakes and errors' in IDF response
Speed Reads Israeli military admits failures in response to deadly Hamas attack that triggered Gaza war
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Biden saw neurologist during physicals
Speed Read Following his bad debate performance, many are asking questions about the president's brain
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Russia bombs Kyiv children's hospital
Speed Reads The daytime barrage interrupted heart surgeries and killed at least 40 people
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published