Little Kyle Rittenhouse, who was acquitted in the shooting deaths of two people during a 2020 Black Lives Matter protest in Kenosha, Wisconsin, last year is still learning. For example, he learned the value of a careful performance during his trial, where he pretended to cry because he felt so threatened by his victims. And now, he seems to be learning how to tap dance and walk backward following the rapid public contradictions he’s received from universities he says he’s attending.
Most recently, Rittenhouse said, “I’m going to be going there, and it’s going to be awesome,” on the Charlie Kirk Show Friday, referring to Texas A&M University. “It’s a beautiful campus. Amazing people. Amazing food,” he added.
However, an A&M official confirmed to The Dallas Morning News Sunday that Rittenhouse “has not been admitted as a student this summer or fall.”
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This has happened before, though. The Guardian reports that last November after Rittenhouse, who former President Trump called “a nice young man,” alleged he was taking nursing classes at Arizona State University (ASU). But ASU students and university officials refuted the claim, and clarified that he was simply taking some online classes for “non-degree seeking students.”
In 2021, a university spokesperson told The Guardian that “Kyle Rittenhouse has not gone through the ASU admissions process. He is not currently enrolled in any classes at ASU.”
According to The Texas Tribune, Monday, Rittenhouse tweeted an announcement that he’s actually planning to attend Blinn College District this fall, a two-year public college in Texas.
“Unfortunately, the end of my high school career was robbed from me,” Rittenhouse wrote on Twitter. It seems he’s learning how to blame his academic failures on his victims, too. So much learning! “I didn’t have the time other students get to properly prepare for the future. I look forward to attending Blinn College District this year, a feeder school for Texas A&M. I’m excited to join Texas A&M in 2023!”
Rittenhouse admitted to shooting Anthony Huber, 26, and Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, and wounding Gaige Grosskreutz, 26. He claimed self-defense, and a jury acquitted him on several charges.
Since then, Rittenhouse has been living his best life. He gives interviews, sells his “Free Kyle” merch online, and recently appeared at the Young Women’s Leadership Summit (YWLS), run by conservative organization Turning Point USA, where he was introduced as a “man you [women] should be attracted to.”
Rittenhouse joined YWLS along with a roundup of conservative speakers, such as Judge Jeanine Pirro, Lara Trump, Kimberly Guilfoyle, Candace Owens, and the host of the event, Charlie Kirk.
Although the event was meant to encourage women’s leadership, Newsweek reports that much of the content seemed to direct the mostly college- and high-school-aged audience to find a husband and have children. “Thousands of female student activists between the ages of 15 and 26 will be invited to attend,” YWLS’ website reads.
At one point, Turning Point USA's Chief Creative Officer Benny Johnson yelled out, "More Americans! More babies! Let's go,” according to Newsweek.
But Rittenhouse’s acquittal and his numerous appearances just highlight the historic hypocrisy of the nation's gun culture and self-defense as a “get out of jail free” card. It takes us back to the death of Trayvon Martin, the 17-year-old Black teen shot to death by George Zimmerman. Zimmerman was acquitted in the case after claiming self-defense—a strategy most Americans would acknowledge would not be successful should the defendant be Black.