Donald Trump congratulates Kyle Rittenhouse on his acquittal: 'If that's not self-defense, nothing is.'

• Kyle Rittenhouse, 18, was found not guilty on all charges after killing two men during protests last year.
• Former President Donald Trump has offered his "congratulations" to Rittenhouse on his acquittal.

Former President Donald Trump congratulated Kyle Rittenhouse on his acquittal after a jury found the 18-year-old not guilty of all charges at his homicide trial in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

"Congratulations to Kyle Rittenhouse for being found INNOCENT of all charges," Trump said in a statement shared by his spokesperson on Friday.

"It's called being found NOT GUILTY - And by the way, if that's not self defense, nothing is!" the statement continued.

Rittenhouse, who was 17 at the time, brought an AR-15 semiautomatic rifle to racial justice protests in Kenosha on August 25, 2020, following the police shooting of Jacob Blake.

He fatally shot two men, Anthony Huber and Joseph Rosenbaum, and injured a third, Gaige Grosskreutz, that night.

Rittenhouse was later charged with first-degree intentional homicide, attempted first-degree intentional homicide, first-degree reckless homicide, and two counts of first-degree recklessly endangering safety.

But on Friday, a jury was unanimous in acquitting the teen of all charges.

The verdict was celebrated by some Republican lawmakers, including Reps. Paul Gosar, Matt Gaetz, and Madison Cawthorn. They all joked about offering Rittenhouse an internship.

Trump's congratulatory statement follows his defense of the teen in August 2020. Speaking to reporters at a press conference, the former president said: "He was trying to get away from them, I guess, it looks like, and he fell, and then they very violently attacked him."

President Joe Biden defended the jury's decision on Friday, telling the press the "jury system works," but added that he and many other Americans were "angry and concerned" about the verdict.