Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden will meet with the family of Jacob Blake when he travels to Kenosha, Wis., Thursday, a Biden campaign spokesman said.
The former vice president will meet with Jacob Blake Sr., the father of the 29-year-old black man shot seven times by a police officer in front of his young children in late August, as well as some other members of the Blake family.
Thursday’s meeting will mark the first time the Democratic presidential candidate speaks to Blake’s family in person. Last Wednesday, he and vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris spoke to Blake’s relatives by phone.
Blake Sr. described the conversation in an interview with CNN two days after it took place, calling the Democratic running mates “so comforting that you almost forgot how the situation was really playing out.”
It is unclear if Biden’s wife, Dr. Jill Biden, will be present at the meeting. The Bidens are traveling to Wisconsin on Thursday together.
Asked about his plans for the trip while speaking to reporters Wednesday in his hometown of Wilmington, Del., the 2020 Democratic nominee said, “I’m not going to do anything other than meet with community leaders, as well as business people and other folks in law enforcement, to start to talk about what has to be done.”
“I’m not going to tell Kenosha what to do, but what we’ll do together,” he added.
Biden’s decision, he said at the press conference, comes at the behest of city leaders and Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers.
“There’s been overwhelming requests that I do come. What we want to do is we’ve got to heal. We got to put things together, bring people together,” the former vice president said.
Curiously, Evers openly discouraged President Trump from making a visit earlier this week, which he opted to make anyway on Tuesday.
Evers penned a letter on Sunday to the commander-in-chief urging him to call off his trip to Kenosha.
Jacob Blake’s sister Letetra Widman (center) and uncle Justin Blake (left)AP“I, along with other community leaders who have reached out, are concerned about what your presence will mean for Kenosha and our state,” Evers wrote.
“I am concerned your presence will only hinder our healing. I am concerned your presence will only delay our work to overcome division and move forward together.”
The Democratic governor also voiced concern that Trump’s trip could cause the reallocation of authorities in the Wisconsin city.
During his visit Tuesday, Trump toured the riot-ravaged city and assessed the destroyed businesses.
He has not met with or spoken to the Blake family due to their demand that a lawyer be present during the session, something he called “inappropriate.”
Asked by CNN if he wanted to hear from the president, Blake Sr. said no, arguing that the time had passed for a conversation between the family and the White House.
After Trump announced his plans to go forward with the trip against Evers’ wishes, Biden and his campaign pounced on his 2020 rival, claiming Trump “looks at this violence and sees a political lifeline.”
In the wake of Trump’s trip to the must-win battleground state, where he touted a “law and order” message amid the devastation caused by riots, however, Biden began facing pressure to get some face time in with devastated, still-undecided voters there.
The former VP was also slated to visit the Badger State during this summer’s Democratic National Convention, where he had originally planned to accept the nomination in person. Those plans were scrapped and Biden delivered his acceptance speech from Delaware due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Team Biden faced mounting scrutiny over its continued reliance on virtual campaigning in the last two months of the presidential election, despite the pandemic.
In the wake of that scrutiny, the Democratic nominee’s trip to Wisconsin and his wife’s “Back to School” tour were announced, getting them both back on the trail.
With Post wires
