Two years ago this week a jury acquitted Kyle Rittenhouse, now 20, of five charges (including two counts of first-degree murder) related to his gunning down Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber and wounding a third man in Kenosha, Wisconsin, in 2020. This week Rittenhouse began hawking a glossy new memoir, “Acquitted,” that he calls “the real and honest version of my story.”
In reality, Rittenhouse’s latest media effort is less about sharing his truth and more about strengthening his position as a far-right political player.
Rittenhouse’s latest media effort is less about sharing his truth and more about strengthening his position as a far-right political player.
Earlier this year, a judge gave Rosenbaum’s family the go-ahead to sue Rittenhouse in civil court, where he could face millions of dollars in damages. The judge’s decision came after Rittenhouse had spent months on the run in an effort to evade being served legal documents. In August, lawyers for Rosenbaum’s estate filed a lawsuit against Rittenhouse (as well as several local law enforcement agencies).
Ritterhouse’s decision to re-enter the national conversation with a memoir and this summer’s creation of the Rittenhouse Foundation is perfectly timed to capitalize on the 2024 campaign cycle. Bolstered by glowing interviews with the likes of Tucker Carlson and propped up by some of the Republican Party’s most extreme money men, Rittenhouse appears to be already preparing the country for an eventual political debut.
Rittenhouse’s new memoir isn’t a desperate attempt to remain relevant. It’s more like the opening charge of a well-funded public relations campaign designed to build Rittenhouse’s personal brand into a political powerhouse. One of Rittenhouse’s many fundraising appeals garnered more $200,000 from sympathetic backers. In politics, the ability to raise that kind of money doesn’t go unnoticed for long, and Republican strategists were soon urging Rittenhouse to think about his political future.
It’s no coincidence that the Rittenhouse Foundation emerged right around the time Republican leaders realized how eagerly conservatives would part with their cash to stick it to the libs. Ostensibly a group meant to fight against gun control legislation, the Texas-based Rittenhouse Foundation is a sophisticated branding and fundraising project bankrolled by some of the state’s most influential far-right conservatives.
How Rittenhouse — an Illinoisan who gunned down protesters in Wisconsin — ended up in Texas is its own drama. Rittenhouse initially claimed he’d be attending Texas A&M University, but university officials told the press he’d never actually been accepted. Rittenhouse instead settled on tiny Blinn College, conveniently located about an hour’s drive from Republican state lawmakers in Austin.
The Rittenhouse Foundation emerged right around the time Republican leaders realized how eagerly conservatives would part with their cash to stick it to the libs.
“Ever since the shooting, Kyle Rittenhouse has been on a quest to stay as relevant as he can, and there’s no doubt he appeals to a big part of the Republican base,” said former Rep. Joe Walsh, an Illinois Republican. “From Day One he’s been totally used by people on the right to raise money and get constituencies fired up. He’s making money putting his face out there for MAGA causes.”
Texas Gun Rights President Chris McNutt counts himself among the foundation’s directors, alongside officers from vastly wealthy conservative activist groups like Defend Texas Liberty PAC. Shelby Griesinger, another Rittenhouse Foundation director (and treasurer at Defend Texas Liberty PAC), is one of the state’s most prolific conservative fundraisers. (Griesinger also believes Jews worship a false God.)
Coincidentally, the Rittenhouse Foundation was created just in time to amplify Rittenhouse’s book and, more importantly, the associated promotional tour. But Rittenhouse is proving to be a political animal even without institutional support. During the 2022 midterm election, he endorsed a handful of failed far-right primary challenges to incumbent Republican lawmakers like state Rep. Lynn Stucky and U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales. Suddenly Rittenhouse is everywhere in Texas Republican politics, and he has the money to make a real impact.
One thing holding Rittenhouse back is his age. At just 20, Rittenhouse still has two full political cycles before he meets the minimum age of 25 to run for a seat in the House of Representatives. An easier option would be entering politics at the state level, where Rittenhouse’s recent endorsements show he’s already receiving high-level political guidance from the state’s far-right power players. There’s also the fact that Rittenhouse, like most 20-year-olds, isn’t a very good politician. The gun rights rallies he headlined over the summer often drew fewer than 100 attendees. He also appears prone to distractions: Alongside the new Rittenhouse Foundation, he’s also working closely with another gun rights group founded by his former Kenosha criminal defense team. Rittenhouse’s actions in Kenosha are the embodiment of a disturbing conservative belief that suggests liberals are leading an attack on our nation that must be resisted. Lionized by the far-right for his bloodshed in Wisconsin, Rittenhouse is now building the infrastructure to elect and empower Republican lawmakers who share his dangerous Second Amendment maximalist beliefs. Rittenhouse and the behind-the-scenes conservatives providing him direction appear to understand that remaining relevant is the key to his success both in politics and as a far-right media celebrity. What better way to stay in the headlines than to release an explosive new memoir during the heat of the 2024 presidential contest? If the goal is to draw former President Donald Trump’s attention and to unleash a monumental amount of fundraising power, then it’s a perfect setup. Rittenhouse’s political ambitions are still forming, and his upcoming book tour will provide even more insight into how he plans to wield his latest public persona. Republican financiers have made sure Kyle Rittenhouse isn’t going away any time soon. Neither is the violent war-on-libs extremism they intend for him to represent.
Max Burns is a Democratic strategist and founder of Third Degree Strategies. Find him on X, @themaxburns. 
