Donald Trump Jr has refused to condemn a 17-year-old gunman accused of fatally shooting two people at a Black Lives Matter rally in Wisconsin last month.
The incident took place at a protest over the police shooting of , in front of his three children in Kenosha on 23 August. Mr Blake survived the shooting, but will likely be paralysed from the waist down.
Kyle Rittenhouse, 17, has been charged as an adult with two counts of first-degree homicide and one count of attempted homicide. His lawyer has said he intends to plead self-defence.
Appearing on US celebrity and entertainment program to promote his new book, Mr Trump was asked why he or his father, the US president, had not condemned the actions of the shooter.
"We're waiting for due process. We're not jumping to a conclusion," he responded.
"If I put myself in Kyle Rittenhouse['s shoes], maybe I shouldn't have been there. He's a young kid. I don't want young kids running around the streets with AR-15s. Maybe I wouldn't have put myself in that situation, who knows? We all do stupid things at 17."
When the interviewer pushed him, stating "it's a little bit beyond stupid", Mr Trump said: "really stupid, fine, but we all have to let that process play out".
Earlier this month, the president said mobile phone footage appeared to show the .
“He was trying to get away from them ... And then he fell and then they very violently attacked him,” he said. “I guess he was in very big trouble ... he probably would have been killed.”
Mr Trump labelled the Kenosha protests "domestic terror" earlier this month after touring the city.
During the Extra TV interview, the eldest son of the president said he agreed with Black Lives Matter, and called it a "very good marketing message" and a "great catchphrase".
"The phrase 'Black Lives Matter' is obvious. No one in America says anything else," he said.
With Reuters
