Owner of burned business accuses Trump of misleading public

KENOSHA, Wis. — The owner of a camera shop that was destroyed during unrest in Kenosha and highlighted during President Donald Trump's visit says the president used his store for political gain by appearing with a former owner of the business while touring the epicenter of the latest eruption over racial injustice.

Tom Gram said he bought Rode's Camera Shop from the Rode family eight years ago, though John Rode still owns the property. Gram's four decades of work at the store came to an end Aug. 24, when the building was destroyed by fire during protests over the police shooting of Jacob Blake.

Gram said he got a call Monday from the White House asking if he would join the president on a tour that would showcase the destruction to the business, but Gram rejected the offer.

And he said Trump's references to Rode as the owner of the business were deceptive.

“I think everything he (Trump) does turns into a circus and I just didn't want to be involved in it,”

Gram told Milwaukee station WTMJ-TV.

The White House, however, noted Wednesday that Rode and his family founded and built Rode's Camera Shop before World War II and still own the building that houses the shop.

Trump didn't visit the site of the shop during Tuesday's trip to Kenosha, but Rode met with him a f ew blocks away. “I just appreciate President Trump coming t oday, everybody here does,” Rode said. “We're so thankful we got the federal troops here. Once they got here things did calm down quite a bit.”